CHESAPEAKE, Va. — A memorial with balloons, flowers, and stuffed animals now marks the spot where a 9-year-old boy died after being hit by a car Friday while trying to cross the road at the intersection of South Military Highway and Baugher Avenue in Chesapeake. Workers at a nearby tire shop say they knew the child and are calling for immediate safety improvements to prevent future tragedies.
Angelo Camacho, owner of Angelo's Tires and Auto Repair, said he and his employees are devastated by the boy's death. The tire shop sits across the street from where the accident occurred.
"It tore us all up. Every one of us, it tore up. I've got kids, you know, and my kids play over here," Camacho said.
Camacho said the boy and his family stayed at a motel next to the tire shop, and the 9-year-old would often hang out in the shop, talk to the employees, and draw pictures while waiting for his older brother to get off the bus. The workers say the child was inside the shop just hours before he was hit by the car.
"Just a great kid, he had a great demeanor, really good attitude," Camacho said.
The tire shop owner described the intersection as dangerous for pedestrians, particularly those staying at the nearby hotel who walk to the Dollar General store.
"There's a whole hotel there that walks to the Dollar General, whole hotel there that walks to the Dollar General. And there's nothing safe. There's no pedestrian walk anymore for them to walk across the street where people are going 55, 60 miles an hour, when they're supposed to be going 45. There needs to be a light to stop it. It’s like a racetrack." Camacho said.
This isn't the first time Camacho has raised concerns about this intersection. In 2015, he told WTKR News 3 about the same safety issues.
"The speed limit is 45. Most people are going 55. They pull out, and they get smacked," he told News 3 at the time.
Now, a decade later, Camacho and his employees are again calling for changes to prevent more deaths.
"It's just dangerous. It's dangerous for everybody. Yes, that's the first young man, and that's the last straw. How many more people gotta die here? How many more kids? They’ve got a school bus that drops kids off right there." Camacho said.
Camacho is advocating for a traffic light with a crosswalk system at the intersection.
"What can we do to resolve this situation so that it doesn't happen again? They need to have a light with a crosswalk. You press a button and you walk across the street safely. They have to have a light here to save lives," he said.
Camacho has started a petition to get a stoplight installed at South Military Highway and Baugher Avenue. Anyone interested in signing the petition can sign it in person in the Angelo's Tires and Auto Repair office at 3301 S Military Highway. After gathering signatures from neighbors, Camacho plans to bring the petition to city leaders in Chesapeake.
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