MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — WAJR News has confirmed a pedestrian was killed in an accident along Patteson Drive Thursday evening.
According to Morgantown Police Chief Ed Preston, a vehicle struck 21-year-old Leah Berhanu of Monongalia County just past Morrill Way, near the entrance to Evansdale Crossing and the WVU Rec Center. The accident was reported around 7:20 p.m., shutting down Patteson Drive until after 10:30 p.m.
Preston confirmed Berhanu was also a WVU student.
“Still got a lot of work to do, but they’ve interviewed a number of people that witnessed the incident,” Preston said. “We’re pulling video from the area.”
Preston told WAJR the accident is still in the early stages of investigation. Accident reconstructionists worked the scene last night. Officers are also obtaining surveillance video from nearby businesses to aid in the investigation.
So far, police have suggested that a Ford Explorer was driving on Patteson Drive when it struck Berhanu in the crosswalk at the intersection.
“They’re going to be doing search warrants on the vehicle, pulling video cameras, and start running the math to try to determine the speed that went into it to reconstruct the actual crash itself.”
“The incident is still under investigation and the crash is being reconstructed before a final determination of cause is released or any charges will be filed,” Preston announced in a press release Friday morning.
The driver, an unidentified woman, also is being treated for injuries.
“Driver of the vehicle was there at the scene,” Preston said. “We’ve been interviewing her. She was actually taken to the hospital as well.”