ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION INVOLVING FIRE TRUCK COMPLETED

Stafford, Va. The Stafford County Sheriff’s Office is reporting that the accident investigation into the incident in which a Stafford County fire truck struck a pedestrian who was crossing Warrenton Road on Friday evening, December 27, 2013 has been completed.

Stafford County Deputies responded to a call of a pedestrian struck in the 500 block of Warrenton Road. The pedestrian was crossing Warrenton Road when he was struck by a fire truck that was responding to an auto accident on I-95. The preliminary investigation indicated that the male pedestrian was not using a crosswalk and was in a darkened section of the six lane road when he was struck. The driver of the fire truck tried to evade the pedestrian but was unable to and struck the male subject. The male was transported to a local hospital with life threatening injuries. The male pedestrian died at the hospital as a result of those injuries.

The completed investigation showed that male subject, John Whitehurst, age 69, of North Myrtle Beach, S.C. crossed Warrenton Road, not using the crosswalk and in a darkened area of the road and was struck by the Stafford County fire truck. The fire truck was responding to an accident on I-95 and did have its lights and siren activated. The driver of the fire truck did try to evade the pedestrian but was unable to avoid hitting the man. Witness statements at the scene corroborated the investigation by the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office. The reason for the pedestrian attempting to cross the six lane road is unknown. An autopsy was completed on the pedestrian and the Sheriff’s Office is awaiting the toxicology report.

The driver of the fire truck has been cleared of any wrong doing and will not be charged. The identity of the driver of the fire truck is not being released.