Prison Term Handed Down in Pedestrian Hit-And-Run Death

A Virginia man driving with a blood alcohol level twice the legal limit has been sentenced to five years in prison for leaving the scene of the fatal accident in College Park.

Prince George’s County Police Department say Jacky Luangraj, 34, of Manassas, VA, was driving drunk July 5, 2014, when his vehicle hit a pedestrian. Officers found Janelle Marie Oni, 21, of Randallstown in the roadway with critical injuries. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Luangraj pleaded guilty in May to motor vehicle manslaughter, reports The Washington Post.

Investigators say Luangraj’s vehicle was northbound on Highway 1 when he struck Oni as she tried to cross the street. At the time of his arrest, police say his blood alcohol content was twice the legal limit. He was not hurt in the crash.

More warning signs have been posted and lights have been changed to give pedestrians more time to safely cross U.S. 1 in College Park after three pedestrians, including two students, were struck by drivers in fatal accidents in 2014.

“She was a human being and he just hit her and left,” Oni’s mother, Ana Burnett told WJZ. ”You don’t even do that to an animal. People get mad when a dog gets hit. That was my only child. I hope that something changes.”

Changes made by the State Highway Administration on U.S. 1 include warning signs for drivers that read “State law -- stop for pedestrian crosswalks” and “Do not block intersection,” “No pedestrian” signs in the median, “No pedestrian crossing” signs along the curbs, repainted crosswalk markings, modified traffic light times -- longer times to cross and shorter wait time for pedestrians, The Baltimore Sun reports.