Vehicle Hits Pedestrian, Driver Charged

A number of emergency vehicles arrived on scene, Tuesday evening, around 9 pm, after a pedestrian, crossing the intersection of Chelsea Court and Heritage Way, was hit by a vehicle leaving the Fox Creek Mews community.

A witness, who asked that his name be witheld, said the driver, a young  Hispanic male, who refused to comment, was exiting the residential parking lot to turn onto Heritage Way when his vehicle struck the pedestrian.

The unidentified man allegedly crossed the street without stopping for oncoming traffic, the witness said, but according to Leesburg Master Police Officer C.F. Tidmore, it's state law to yeild to pedestrians.

"State law states a pedestrian has the right-of-way when they are crossing the roadway. So vehicles must yeild," Tidmore said, something that traffic units are constantly trying to enforce.

According to Tidmore, the incident was "very minor". The male pedestrian, whose name was not released, was transported to Inova Hospital, by ambulance, to be checked for minor injuries. The driver was charged with failure to yeild to a pedestrian.

Tidmore stressed the importance of yeilding to pedestrians as there are a number of crosswalks throughout town.

"Drivers need to be very careful especially in the evening," he said, especially since daylight hours have gotten longer.