A man died after being hit by a vehicle near the Lumina Commons Harris Teeter, off Wrightsville Avenue, late Saturday, Jan. 3.
Wilmington Police Department Cpl. Adam Schwartzel said during a Jan. 3 phone interview the Wilmington Police Department, Wilmington Fire Department and emergency medical services personnel responded to a 7:53 p.m. call reporting an accident involving a car traveling westbound on Wrightsville Avenue and a pedestrian at Southerland Avenue behind the Harris Teeter in Lumina Commons.
EMS responded within minutes, Schwartzel said, by which time Russell Hampton Parker, the 32-year-old pedestrian involved in the accident, was pronounced dead on the scene.
WPD released further details about the incident Monday, Jan. 5, and spokeswoman Cathryn Lindsay said Parker was either walking or standing in the westbound lane of Wrightsville Avenue near Lumina Commons when a vehicle traveling west struck him. The impact of that collision killed Parker and sent him into the eastbound lane where he was struck by another car traveling east.
Lindsay said alcohol and speed were not factors for either of the drivers. Lindsay also said Parker was wearing dark clothing and was not immediately visible to the driver of the westbound vehicle. While it has not been confirmed by toxicology reports yet, Lindsay said alcohol might have been a factor on Parker’s part.
No charges have been filed against any parties involved in the accident, but an investigation led by the Wilmington Police Department is ongoing.
By 4 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 6, WPD public information officer Linda Rawley said there were no further updates to the investigation.
On Facebook, Parker listed his occupation as a commercial fisherman out of Wrightsville Beach and his hometown as Mount Olive, N.C.
Parker was due in New Hanover County District 5 Court Feb. 23, 2015, for a traffic incident that occurred in February 2014 in Wilmington for which he was charged with reckless driving, felony habitual impaired driving, driving during revocation and fictitious or altered license plate, tags or registration.
email [email protected]
email [email protected]
