Driver Charged in Fatal Bland County Pedestrian Accident
27-year-old Alex B. Nunley is facing three felony charges following a fatal hit-and-run that left two women dead and a third injured.
About the Bland County Hit-and-Run
According to WSLS, Nunley struck the three women as they were out for a daily morning walk along Wilderness Road. The women heard Nunley’s vehicle approaching and moved into a single-file line in order to allow Nunley to pass; however, Nunley’s vehicle veered off the road and into the ditch line.
One woman was able to jump out of the way of the oncoming vehicle, but the other two women, identified as Connie Dehart, 69, and Frances Burgess, 66, were fatally struck – both were pronounced dead at the scene.
Nunley fled the scene of the accident, but an investigation lead Bland County Sheriff’s deputies to a residence in the Holly Brook community where the deputies located Nunley’s Ford Thunderbird.
Nunley was detained and charged with three felony counts of hit-and-run, one count of reckless driving, and one count of failure to report an accident.
The investigation is ongoing.
National Pedestrian Accident Statistics
The following information was provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
- 4,735 pedestrians were killed in traffic accidents in 2013. This averages to about one pedestrian death every 2 hours.
- A additional 150,000 pedestrians were treated in emergency rooms in 2013 for traffic-related injuries.
- On average, a pedestrian is 1.5 times more likely to be involved in a fatal accident on each trip than occupants of passenger vehicles.
- Pedestrians over the age of 65 accounted for 19% of all pedestrian deaths and 10% of all pedestrian injuries in 2013.
