Pedestrian Hit By Car at the Intersection of Reston Parkway and Bluemont Way

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by Fatimah Waseem May 21, 2018 at 12:20 pm 102 Comments

(Updated at May 21 at 3 p.m. to include information about traffic and on May 22 to include her identity) A 71-year-old woman was hit by a car and killed at the intersection of Reston Parkway and Bluemont Way.

At around 11:20 a.m., Glanetta Nunn was crossing the road when she was hit by a car. The driver remained on scene.

Nunn was identified as the pedestrian on Tuesday (May 22).

A crash reconstruction unit tasked with investigating the incident concluded its work around 2:30 p.m. All lanes are now open.

According to passersby, a mangled baby stroller was visible at the location of the incident.

Photo via Fairfax County Police Department

Al5150

Ugh, that’s horrible. Some drivers making a right onto Reston Parkway sometimes don’t realize that pedestrians have the right-of-way when the light turns green. Just last weekend I stopped my wife from crossing once the light turned green. Sure enough, the driver was already turning at a fast rate.
- John Gonzalez
  
  I agree. Drivers never pay attention to pedestrians when they have the right away. They just see a green light and go for it!! Drivers are always on a rush!!
  - General Manager
    
    Lets wait for the investigation to finish up. I agree that cars should yield to pedestrians in crosswalks. I also want to mention that this area has a problem with pedestrians with baby strollers darting through traffic. It is madness to try to cross the area’s roads outside of crosswalks and through ingoing traffic. I drove by this scene. The driver and his passengers stopped and were visibly upset. And every single one of us who drove by the scene will never forget this.
    - JenH
      
      I agree. I can’t shake that image. Horrible.
  - INWDC
    
    I have to say the drivers in this area are generally pretty considerate to pedestrians. The problem I think lies more in the size of the intersections (essentially the infrastructure – and again the planners/developers/politicians are the ones to blame). This area has tons of intersections where peds have to cross 6 lanes of traffic. And I noticed at quite a few of these intersections peds aren’t given much time to cross the finish line. In the case of an elderly person…in this incident the victim was 71…there simply isn’t enough time given for them to safely get to the other side. The Reston founder had the right idea by having walkways/pathways go under the roadways…but that costs more (sadly, cutting costs is always priority one for a developer regardless of outcome).
- It’s Yanny
  
  Without knowing the circumstances of this particular accident, way back in the 80s when I took drivers ed, our instructor absolutely hammered into us that pedestrians ALWAYS have the right of way. Many drivers in Reston don’t show much inclination to accept they need to share the road with pedestrians and cyclists.
  - Mike M
    
    Not accurate. They do not always have the right of way. Many recent pedestrian strikes in this area have resulted in no charges. That attitude among pedestrians has gotten many killed. I have had people stumble out in front of me on Reston Parkway in the dark.
    
    Something bad went down here. But save your blame flame for the investigation’s outcome.
    
    No one but a maniac wants to strike a pedestrian.
    - JQPublic
      
      How come you never say that about bicyclists getting hit like the one on Sunrise Valley recently??
      - Mike M
        
        Where have you been, dude? The bikers hate me for my comments. I don’t know what happened at Sunrise Valley.
      - JQPublic
        
        Oddly you commented on the Sunrise article? Is there another Mike M out there?
        
        Cyclists don’t hate you. They just wonder why you never say these things when a cyclist is injured:
        
        “Something bad went down here. But save your blame flame for the investigation’s outcome. I believe two other pedestrians have been killed at this intersection. No one but a maniac wants to strike a pedestrian.”
      - Mike M
        
        I don’t get your point. But I do see cyclists breaking the law and doing dangerous things all the time. They are not the same as pedestrians. And they treat pedestrians on the WO&D worse than drivers treat them. Of course, I am speaking of the nasty minority.
      - JQPublic
        
        No, you ignore my point because it doesn’t fit your agenda of bicycle hate.
    - IllEagle
      
      You people are sad.. Go back and read your manuals has it been that long. Pedestrians ALWAYS have the right away… The intersection is so broad you see people from far away… at 11AM on a sunny day.. The Driver wasn’t paying attention..
      - Mike M
        
        I stand by my statement. Pedestrians do NOT always have the right of way. I don’t know many specifics about this particular case. Not sure you do either. And Reston Now hasn’t been all that scoopful.
      - OneReally
        
        That’s simply not true. I think you need to recheck your facts.
        
        “Determining Fault:
        
        After a car crash
        involving a pedestrian, it’s not always easy determining who is at fault for the incident. Generally speaking, the law of negligence will determine who is at fault. Negligence is defined as careless or unlawful behavior.
        
        Some examples of negligence on the pedestrian’s part include:
        
        Jaywalking.
        
        Being in the crosswalk when it is not indicated for them to do so. Walking on the road instead of the sidewalk.
        Some examples of negligence on the driver’s part include:
        Running a red light. Not coming to a full stop at a stop sign.
        
        Speeding.
        
        Distracted driving (e.g. texting, talking on the phone, checking GPS, changing music, etc.).
      - Mike M
        
        You have no idea. Yet, you are certain! And others are “sad.”
  - HowardC
    
    where in the world did you get that from? Really, from an instructor? I’m with Mike M on this one. On the other hand, one would hope that drivers would exercise caution at all time.
    - Why do you bother?
      
      Pedestrians crossing properly at a light DO have the right of way over turning cars.
      - The Constitutionalist
        
        Keywords, “properly at a light.”
        
        Keywords missed, “ALWAYS have the right of way.”
  - TheKingJAK
    
    Well, morally speaking I will always try to avoid any living being caught in the roadway, but legally speaking there is a such thing as jaywalking whereby the motorist has the right-of-way.
    
    Case in point: I once had some teens suddenly dart right in front of me as they crossed a darkened roadway years ago, and I nearly hit them. A police officer happened to be going the other way at the time and witnessed it all, so they hit their lights and pulled over the pedestrians.
    
    IMO jaywalking laws shouldn’t be used for pedestrians who safely cross outside of designated crosswalks, but they absolutely should be enforced with regards to blatantly reckless behavior.
    
    It also goes without saying that the police need to step-up their speeding/reckless driving enforcement around here. Another motorist obliterated the guardrail alongside Lake Anne again, and commuters are sometimes doing twice the speed limit at certain points.
- Guest
  
  I passed by. I noticed the incident happened not on crosswalk but a bit farther. That’s horrible. And a stroller nearby…
- Chainsman
  
  You have the right of way, but if the driver doesn’t see you, you die, and the driver gets a citation.
  
  Look before crossing the street. Don’t be another statistic.
  
  So many idiots think they can cross the street without looking. In a few more generations these idiots will be selected out, Darwin-style.
JenH

I drove by it. So horrible. I’m hoping the baby survived.
- Chainsman
  
  Relax. No kid, just trash and recyclables.
  - IllEagle
    
    She collected Random items in her stroller on her walks around Reston, We in the neighborhood watched out for her as I do for everyone as I drive..
Ken

Wish I hadn’t passed by. Horrible scene. Thoughts and prayers.
- Chainsman
  
  Don’t waste both their time and our time with your useless “thoughts and prayers.” Do something to force improvements to these intersections instead.
  - IllEagle
    
    what is wrong with you? Did mommy not tuck you in? Did cousin Jeb touch you in the bad place? It’s people like you who are ruining this area. You make me sick to my stomach.. And I’ll tell you to your face..
    - The Constitutionalist
      
      So are you saying sexual assault victims are ruining this area and make you sick to your stomach?
    - INWDC
      
      Chainsman is a troll. I wouldn’t waste your time engaging with him.
  - 30yearsinreston
    
    Make the FCBOS accountable
    Start with our elected ‘supevisor’
  - dip shid
    
    You seem like a pleasant person, Chainsman. For what reason have you chose to bombard the comment section with “she should have been using the underpass” ? Look at the scene- the underpass about 1/4 mile away, and the individual hit could well have been on the cross walk, but the car moved her 20 ft up reston pkwy.
    
    Keep it up with the crosswalk comments, that should solve the traffic/commuting/transportation/density concerns.
TRS

I consistently say, “Not much good happens after midnight.” and “Humans without cars should not be on roads.”
- Dallas
  
  How would you like them to cross??????!!!!
  - TRS
    
    My point is that walking among cars should be done with extreme, extreme caution — drivers are not following basics rules that results in peril to pedestrians.
  - The Constitutionalist
    
    In a crosswalk, carefully paying attention to everything around them.
    - Vicki Baker
      
      And the crosswalk at RTC has drivers consistently run through red lights. So then what??
      - The Constitutionalist
        
        Then you get hit and killed, like the millions of millions of people that die at the “crosswalk at RTC” each and every year.
        
        Oh wait, that doesn’t actually happen.
- The Constitutionalist
  
  The next day begins after midnight. Does that mean that everything that happens in the future is worse than what happened yesterday?
Christine

I drove by the accident and there was a bent stroller in the median and it looked like blanket covering something in the street. Quite a few police. Terrible and I’ve been feeling sick since I saw it. Prayers for the family and I really hope the child is ok.
- Chainsman
  
  There’s no kid, just trash and recyclables.
Rick

I drove by the scene around 1:45 and it looked like a black body bag was on the grass. Didn’t see any stroller. Brutal.
Pedestrian kill zone/s

The third lane is typically used to put yourself in pole position for the red light.

The planners of Reston apparently could have never imagined the level of frustration with traffic and population density. Also, based on recent experiences the pedestrian lights are not working properly or at all.

Whoever is at fault the current situation demands a full county review of all intersections and how to fix them.
- 30yearsinreston
  
  Hudgins and Bulova are on record as saying better infrastructure is not required
  No need to look any further
  - Ted
    
    You really a sad human being
    - 30yearsinreston
      
      by identifying those who have not made improvements ?
      whose responsibility is it ?
      - jenshadus
        
        Why is 30yearsinreston a sad human being. I’ve been told second hand that if you collect a petitions, Hudgins just throws it in the trash can. It’s time she retired.
  - jenshadus
    
    Hudgins and Bulova are in place to look out for themselves and take money under the table from the developers. They have NO interest in their constituents…especially Hudgins. But Reston keeps voting her in!
INWDC

We don’t know all the facts yet but it’s a good time to spotlight the shoddy pedestrian infrastructure in this area. They put in all this new development with little to no thought as to how it will be used by people walking. A ton of tax money is spent on roads, with little investment or thought placed in pedestrian right of ways (which costs the county nothing in comparison). Myopic and irresponsible planners, developers, businesses, and elected officials are culpable in these tragedies. Younger generations demand thoughtful infrastructure that incorporates all modes of transportation, not just the dying car-centric “vision.” As this area continues to grow along with people who walk/bike instead of drive everywhere, deaths like this will continue to occur. And those wanting a better quality suburb will look elsewhere.
- Mike M
  
  I don’t agree with all you said, but this much is true: We have been oversold as pedestrian friendly for a long time. We continue to be even as the area becomes less and less so. There will be more of these. Restone Parkway by the RTC has been a problem getting worse. The stretch of Wiehle between Sunrise Valley and Isaac Newton is just begging for pedestrian strikes, and by DESIGN!
  - Liveheretoo
    
    If the victim was a cyclist you’d be whining and crowing about it, spewing something hateful about the victim.
    - Mike M
      
      Maybe over something less than fatal. I’d probably be right, too. You see, I witness bad cyclist behavior in Reston every day. They actually get in the roads at rush hour and pretend they are the same as a car. Talk about reckless.
      - JQPublic
        
        Maybe? You’d seriously spew that if someone got hurt?
        
        What is wrong you guys?
      - Mike M
        
        You bore me. I’ll speak for myself, thanks.
        There are lots of stupid bikers on the roads around here. Want to know what I’d say? Read what I said.
      - JQPublic
        
        Many believe you would applaud the death or injury of a cyclist because you think they are ‘stupid’. There are equally if not more ‘stupid’ drivers (I’m sure you are just a model driver) and ‘stupid’ pedestrians but they get a pass.
        
        Always hate. Never consideration to someone who is simply riding a bike to get somewhere. And never a good reason…it’s always ‘stupid biker’.
      - Mike M
        
        Tis generally a stupid biker. No apologies. But pedestrians don’t get out in traffic flow at rush hour in December and claim the favor of the “the law.” Of course they ignore basic physical laws.
- It’s Yanny
  
  Truth. A bad accident is waiting to happen on Temporary Rd between Reston Parkway and Old Reston Ave. where there is no crosswalk at all, traffic converging from multiple directions, and tons of pedestrians trying to cross Temporary Rd. at the busiest times of day. The only saving grace is that traffic speeds aren’t usually too high or else I’m sure there would have been a bad accident by now.
  - Terri
    
    There was an accident at Temporary Rd & Old Reston Ave a couple weeks ago, with significant damage to one of the cars. Imagine the outcome if it were a pedestrian or bicyclist. For the folks that DO walk to Reston Parkway to cross Temporary Road, they often deal with drivers who ignore the Walk sign as pedestrians attempt to cross within the lines of the crosswalk. There have been many occasions in which aggressive drivers honk at the cars that stop and wait for the pedestrian to get to the other side. Today’s accident was tragic. Reston/Fairfax County planners need to do better to create safer crossing options at these busy, congested intersections. Other cities are setting the example and Reston should be up there with the best of them considering our “Work, Live, Play” community.
    - 30yearsinreston
      
      Its turned into “Work, Live, Pay’
      - Bill
        
        Way to turn a tragedy into a political statement.
      - 30yearsinreston
        
        Not improving the roads and paths is a political statement
    - Vicki Baker
      
      On Christmas Eve as I was crossing Temporary Rd in the rain at the green light a driver that had to wait 10 seconds for me laid on his horn. Merry Christmas.
      - The Constitutionalist
        
        OH GOD, NOT THE HORN!!!!!!!!
        
        #RestonProblems
RestonLawyer

I drove by at 11:30 when the cars were still on the scene and the baby stroller (double kid variety) was bent and on the median about 100 yards from the intersection, white sheet over body in right lane around 50 years from intersection. The baby stroller seemed to have been used as a bag holder and what looked like trash was around the stroller. I assumed it was a homeless person using the stroller to transport items, not kids (luckily).
- 12345
  
  She was NOT homeless. She was a homeowner & used the stroller as a walker daily to (1) be able to continue walking as her back gives out and (2) pick up societies’ trash that is left throughout Reston. Cars fly down Reston Parkway past the town center without any regard for pedestrians, & traffic just gets worse over the years. This is NOT how she should have gone!
Kim Trout McColl

Anything yet about the stroller? I passed the scene and can’t stop thinking about it :(. So sad
Monica Stefan

Indeed very tragic and sad. Pedestrians are totally forgotten in the US. Being from Europe where we walk everywhere and have abundance of safe crossing option, this will have to change here asap. Very tragic scene, drove by, only could pray for the family!
- Mike M
  
  So, I’ll guess you’ll be headed home soon? Back to superiority land? I’ll keep my country, thank you.
  - JQPublic
    
    And queue the unrelated comments/trolling.
    - The Constitutionalist
      
      We’ll start with yours.
      - JQPublic
        
        Just one more and #winning. Greg…paging Greg.
      - The Constitutionalist
        
        I’ll add winning to the long list of words you don’t understand, you’ll find it cataloged right next to irony.
      - JQPublic
        
        It’s #winning.
      - The Constitutionalist
        
        Okay, sure… I’ll add #winning too.
    - Mike M
      
      Thanks for your valuable input.
- The Constitutionalist
  
  There was an option for safe crossing, she chose not to use it.
Matt

Can we ban driving in RTC unless near a garage all together. I don’t see a purpose, outside of showboating your exhaust system.
- The Constitutionalist
  
  Have you heard of transportation? That’s pretty much THE purpose for driving.
  - Matt
    
    There are other ways to get where you need to go besides driving through the Reston town center. There are too many pedestrians.
    - The Constitutionalist
      
      You’re right, there are other ways. That’s not what you said, you said, “I don’t see a purpose, outside of showboating your exhaust system.”
      
      The purpose is transportation. Do you see it now?
      - Matt
        
        Transportation is a noun. So what you should really say is ‘the purpose is for transporting.’ The point is, maybe you should pick your battles. Maybe spend more time making a positive impact on society?
      - The Constitutionalist
        
        The point of your grammar lesson is that I should pick my battles?
        
        A lesson provided by a teacher who doesn’t know how to end a question?
        
        “Can we ban driving in RTC unless near a garage all together.”
        
        You see Matt, sometimes we make grammatical sacrifices in the name of readability. In fact, as a copywriter, that’s my job.
        
        Your little jab about society doesn’t hurt. My day job is to literally provide a way for organizations to help others, and the best part is that it’s quantifiable. I don’t have to wonder if what I’m doing is making a positive impact, I can just look at the numbers.
cRAzy

You can’t have a “walkable” community if you can’t cross the street without being killed.
- Chainsman
  
  Use a crosswalk or the perfectly safe underpass on the W&OD Trail just a couple of yards west of this incident.
  - IllEagle
    
    FOH
  - Lauren Graham
    
    FWIW, this happens even within crosswalks. Just the other week I was walking across the street to RTC in a crosswalk, was about a quarter way through the intersection, when someone turned left from across the road and nearly hit me. Then proceeded to give ME the finger, although I had initiated crossing well before he initiated his turn. This is a common occurrence when crossing to or from RTC.
    - The Constitutionalist
      
      It does happen even within crosswalks. But not this time.
  - Vicki Baker
    
    I use the pedestrian walkway at RTC and car after car blows through the red light.
  - AngryMountainBiker
    
    I’ll assume you’re not disingenuous but merely wildly misinformed
    as this is factually incorrect. There is an underpass, but to call it
    easy access is simply not true. To leave Reston Boulevard and use the
    W&OD and get back on Reston Boulevard on the other side, using the
    W&OD trail underpass is over 3/4 of a mile. In fact, it appears
    that the W&OD access was almost intentionally restricted from RTC.
    There is a path from the W&OD up to Reston Boulevard on the east
    side, but not on the west. The closest access on the west is actually a
    bit beyond Explorer Avenue by the tennis courts. I was down there today
    and checked it out.
Chuck Morningwood

Rest in peace, Unidentified Victim.
TRS

I pretty much won’t walk in Reston. It is not a place for safe walking.
- LEF
  
  I drove by and saw that pedestrian on the ground with a white cover and feet outside the cover. This was around 12:10ish. Or so I thought. I did not know what happened. There is no safe place for those that live here. If you are not a business, forget any kind of concern besides making the buck. I moved here in 1973 and family life and activities for the family are no longer a priority. Crossing the street safely will soon to be the least of our concerns. Most will be priced out of the homes we live in. What a sad place Reston has and is becoming. My heart goes out to the family of the person who was killed. Reston keeps building, but is not dealing with the need for better infrastructure and the jmpact of sudden change. This is who will pay. So very wrong, and do very sad.
  - Chainsman
    
    Not really. Cross the street at a crosswalk or the really expensive and perfectly safe underpass on the W&OD Trail just a few yards west of the scene of this accident.
- The Constitutionalist
  
  Don’t walk in the street.
  - 30yearsinreston
    
    Get a uber ?
IllEagle

She was my neighbor. She would collect random items in her stroller. We would watch out for her. Cops were by earlier looking into her windows knocking on her door. People please slow down.. RIP…….
- Chainsman
  
  This has absolutely nothing to do with speed and having to “slow down” as you so ignorantly say.
  
  If you’re not willing to walk across at an approved crossing, you shouldn’t try to cross the street at all.
  
  There’s a perfectly safe underpass a few yards west of this accident and several sanctioned crosswalks to the east. This person chose to use none of these.
  - It’s Yanny
    
    In other words, she deserved to die, apparently.
    - The Constitutionalist
      
      Nice leap. Might be a Virginia long jump record.
- Vicki Baker
  
  Rest In Peace
cRAzy

A number of commenters (trolls) here have noted the victim was not in a crosswalk (or, in this case, using the underpass). The fact of the matter is that there are very few crosswalks on Reston (or any other Fairfax community) streets. This is the responsibility of the County Board and VDOT. VDOT especially is loathe to paint crosswalks for reasons that fail understanding. If Fairfax County insists on becoming urban, it needs to make sure it makes it safe for pedestrians to walk anywhere. There ought to be a full set of crosswalks at every intersection in Reston (and beyond).
- Vicki Baker
  
  Bravo

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