Fatal hit-and-run has some east side neighbors concerned for safety
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A fatal hit-and-run on Indy’s east side has some neighbors concerned that it’s the continuation of a worrying trend.
A man was hit and killed just before 9 p.m. Sunday on East Washington Street and South Shortridge Road, according to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.
Neighbors say the stretch of Washington Street that runs through Irvington and the east side is dangerous, and they say Sunday’s hit-and-run is just the latest in a series of accidents and close calls.
Two weeks ago, a mother reported that she and her young children were nearly hit at the intersection of North Audubon Road and East Washington Street in Irvington.
In September, 7-year-old Hannah Crutchfield was killed when a car hit her, her mother, and a crossing guard outside IPS George Julian School 57 on East Washington Street.
These and other incidents have people like Irvington resident Molly Williams on high alert.
“I don’t really think it matters all that much that it’s not happening in the same spot or even in the same neighborhood,” Williams said. “If it’s happening on the same street, it seems to be a problem.”
Bill Sutton also lives in Irvington. He says he worries about the safety of children in the area.
“I always think that, whenever I see someone just speeding along, there could be a kid just right around the corner,” Sutton said.
Some neighbors, like JT Lang, believe expanding the Blue Line through Irvington could be a solution.
“It seems like the buses slow things down a little bit when I’ve seen them in other places, as long as it feels like people have enough room to walk and move around,” Lang said.
Police are still investigating Sunday’s fatal hit-and-run. They believe the person responsible was driving and older, grayish Ford F-150 pickup truck. It was last seen headed north on Shadeland Avenue from Washington Street.
Anyone with information should contact Det. Jason Thalheimer by calling 317-327-6549 or sending an email to jason.thalheimer@indy.gov.
Tips can also be left anonymously with Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-TIPS.