Friday March 27, 2009

Charlottesville Police say Horace Clay Atkins, 63, was killed instantly when he was hit by a car Thursday night on Avon Street. The Charlottesville resident lived in the Belmont area and was either coming to or from his home.

Police investigation shows Atkins was not in the crosswalk as he crossed the road. His body is at the University of Virginia hospital for an autopsy.

Police say the driver who hit Atkins is a 23-year-old PVCC student who also lived in the Belmont area. Authorities say he cooperated with police. The investigation is still pending, and the Commonwealth's Attorney will decide if they'll file charges against the driver.

Atkins was wearing dark clothing, and alcohol may have been a factor, since police say he had it in his possession and he apparently smelled of it.

Investigators arrived on the scene at Avon Street near Garrett Street just after 9:00 pm Thursday night. They immediately shut down traffic along the block and began their investigation.

This incident hits home with a lot of people in Charlottesville. Many that we talked to at the scene say it comes as a shock, but the signs were there.

"I can say that I've been guilty, and a lot of my associates and friends have been guilty, of just stepping out even in an area that's not a crosswalk," pedestrian Deangeloo Farrish said. "On the flip side, when you're talking about the actual drivers, I've been downtown before, and I've seen people blow right through a red light."