WASHINGTON — Four people died in separate hit-and-run crashes in Maryland and Virginia over the weekend. Authorities are asking for the public's help to identify the vehicles and drivers involved in the crashes.
The stretch of hit-and-runs started in College Park, Md. around 5:30 a.m. Saturday when an African-American man was found lying dead between the Inner Loop of Interstate 495 and the ramp for northbound Interstate 95, Maryland State Police said. Police have not positively identified the victim and they continue to loo for the striking vehicle.
Another deadly hit-and-run accident was reported in Lorton, Va. Franconia police said it is looking for the driver of a dark-colored sedan with a silver or gray hood that killed 28-year-old Joseph Lanza on Saturday around 4:35 p.m. Saturday.
Police learned Lanza walked toward the road on the 10000 block of Old Colchester Road and was struck by a possible Honda Prelude driving along Old Colchester Road. The driver did not stop when it hit Lanza and continued driving west on Old Colchester Road, police said. It is unknown if alcohol was a factor in this incident, police said.
Early Sunday morning, around 2:40 a.m., a pedestrian was struck by two vehicles in the area of Route 7 and Dranesville Road in Sterling, Va., Loudoun County Sheriff's Office said. The man was trying to cross Route 7 when both vehicles struck him in the westbound lane.
One of the drivers stayed at the scene and the second driver drove off in a dark-colored Mercedes Benz. Police are now asking anyone with information on the fleeing vehicle to call authorities.
Later that evening, another pedestrian was possibly struck by two cars in Forestville, Md., Prince George's County police said. The pedestrian was reportedly hit by one or two cars on southbound Route 4 at Old Marlboro Pike around 8:30 p.m. Witnesses saw the crash and contacted police shortly after. The pedestrian's identity has not yet been released. The description of the striking car or cars is also unknown.
According to a Governors Highway Safety Association report looking at the deaths in the first half of 2019, cases of pedestrians being killed are at a 30-year high around the country, showing a 5 percent jump nationally.
The report states 57 people were killed in Virginia, 56 in Maryland and six more deaths were recorded in D.C. in 2019.
The GHAS data says the deaths during the day have seen a 16 percent spike, but that most pedestrians are hit when it's dark outside.
From 2009 to 2018, there's been a 67 percent increase in deaths happening at night across the nation.
