Pedestrian Killed by Hit and Run Driver
The following post was distributed by the Floyd County Prosecutor’s Office Combined Accident Reconstruction Team. The news release is being reproduced here in an effort to collect more information about the accident. Anyone with information is urged to contact the New Albany Police Anonymous Tip Line at (812) 948-NAPD (948-6273) or the Indiana State Police at (812) 246-5424.
For Release IMMEDIATE
S/Trp. David A. Scott
(812) 246-5424
Pedestrian Killed on Charlestown Road by Hit and Run Driver
NEW ALBANY — On December 29, 2011 at approximately 1:18AM, the New Albany Police Department received a call regarding a pedestrian struck in the 2700 block of Charlestown Road near Klerner Lane. The first units on the scene found a deceased white male lying in the southbound lanes of SR 311. The vehicle or vehicles that struck him had left the area. The Floyd County Combined Accident Reconstruction Team (CART) was called to the scene to conduct the investigation.
CART was formed in July 2007 by Floyd County Prosecutor Keith Henderson to investigate all fatality crashes and those accidents involving serious bodily injury with the potential for criminal charges. CART members are drawn from the New Albany Police Department, Floyd County Police Department, and the Indiana State Police and have received additional training in crash reconstruction and scene diagramming.
The deceased in this early morning accident has been identified as Richard A. Bennett, age 24, of New Albany. Family has been notified. The preliminary investigation reveals that for unknown reasons, Bennett was in the southbound lanes of the 2700 block of Charlestown Road when he was struck by a vehicle that left the scene. A second vehicle, described by a witness as a red pickup truck, struck the body as it lay in the road. It is possible that the occupant(s) of the pickup truck was not aware that the vehicle had struck a body. It is unknown how long Bennett had been lying in the road before being struck by the red pickup truck.
The CART Team needs assistance in locating the vehicle that initially struck Bennett and would like to talk to the driver of the red pickup truck. The first vehicle should have damage to the front-end and possibly the windshield.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the New Albany Police Anonymous Tip Line at 948-NAPD (948-6273) or the Indiana State Police at 246-5424.