An Elkin man was struck by a car and killed Sunday night while walking on U.S. 601 (Rockford Street) just outside Mount Airy, according to a N.C. Highway Patrol spokesman.
The victim was identified as Michael Jason Cummings, 43, who was hit in the northbound portion of the four-lane highway in the vicinity of the Scenic Chevrolet-Buick-GMC dealership.
After initially being struck by a passenger car driven by a Virginia man, Cummings apparently was run over “a couple of times” more by other traffic, Mount Airy Fire Chief Zane Poindexter said regarding the incident along that busy stretch.
“He was pronounced dead at the scene,” Sgt. Fletcher Pipes of the N.C. Highway Patrol said, a location slightly north of Rockford Street’s intersection with Old U.S. 601.
“According to the driver, he just stepped out in front of him,” Pipes said of Cummings. “Nobody knows why he walked in front of the car.”
Darkness might have been a factor. “I got the call about 9:30 (p.m.),” Pipes mentioned.
The motorist, identified as Demerious Davon Carmichael, 40, of Galax, Virginia, initially left the scene, apparently not fully realizing that his car had struck someone, prompting some initial reports that a hit-and-run was involved.
However, after pulling into the Walmart parking lot nearby, Carmichael turned around and “went back to the scene,” the Highway Patrol spokesman said.
While Carmichael is facing vehicle-registration-type violations as a result of Sunday night’s incident involving the Chevrolet passenger car he was operating, the driver was not charged in connection with the pedestrian fatality itself. No aggravating factors were involved, Pipes said.
Authorities had no idea Monday why the Elkin resident happened to be on foot in the Mount Airy area, or any other information regarding the circumstances leading up to the fatal encounter.
“I wish I had the answer to that,” Pipes said.
Mount Airy Police Chief Dale Watson said Monday that the death highlights the need for pedestrians to be extra-vigilant and aware, especially in unlighted areas with no crosswalks where traffic is moving at a fast clip.
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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