CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Barbara Brouillette believes her grandson Mekhi Anderson might still be alive today if there had been a stoplight and a crosswalk at the intersection where he was hit and killed by a car in December.
The 9-year-old boy was crossing South Military Highway at Baugher Avenue on December 12 when he was hit by a car. He was pronounced brain dead at the hospital.
"In crossing Military Highway, he was hit by a car and he didn't make it," Brouillette said. "I can't bring Mekhi back. But if a stoplight there helped prevent something like this happening in the future, then wouldn't it be worth it?"
Mekhi's death has reignited long-standing safety concerns about the busy intersection in Chesapeake's Deep Creek North area. For more than a decade, neighbors have raised alarms about pedestrian safety on this stretch of South Military Highway.
Community calls for immediate action
Angelo Camacho, owner of Angelo's Tires and Auto Repair located across from where the accident happened, knew Mekhi well. The boy lived with his mother at a nearby motel, and Mekhi would often visit the tire shop, talking with employees and drawing pictures while waiting for his older brother's school bus.
"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. "Just a great kid, he had a great demeanor, really good attitude."
Camacho described the intersection as particularly dangerous for pedestrians staying at the nearby motel who walk to the Dollar General store across the street.
"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 anywhere for them to walk across the street where people are going 55, 60 miles an hour, when they're supposed to be going 45," Camacho said.
This isn't the first time Camacho has raised concerns about this intersection. In 2015, he told News 3 about the same safety issues, saying most drivers exceed the 45 mph speed limit.
Crash data reveals growing problem
Crash data from the Chesapeake Police Department shows the scope of the problem on the 3.5-mile stretch of South Military Highway between Galberry Road and Shell Road. In 2024, there were 261 accidents. In 2025, that number jumped to 283 accidents, including two pedestrian incidents just days apart from each other.
Jacob Campbell, who works at Angelo's Tires and Auto Repair, said he and his neighbors live in constant fear crossing the busy road to reach the Dollar General.
"It's always sitting in the back of your mind. You could get hit by that car. All it takes is that one irresponsible driver coming 90 miles an hour, which I see that a lot too," Campbell said.
Campbell says many people who live and work near that area of South Military Highway do not have cars, and rely on walking as their main form of transportation.
City acknowledges safety concerns
When Chesapeake Neighborhood Reporter Erin Holly asked Chesapeake Mayor Rick West about these safety concerns in January, he acknowledged the problem and said the city has plans to address it through the Military Highway Safety Improvements and Access Management Plan.
"We do have a plan. We do recognize that it is an unsafe place, and that we need to make it a safer place," West said. "It is an unsafe pedestrian area, bicycling, walking. It's just unsafe. Just avoid it until something is done."
When asked about adjusting the improvement plan to add a traffic light to the intersection, West said the city would consider all options.
"I think whatever it takes to make it safe, we will consider. Absolutely," West said.
A grandmother's heartbreak
Brouillette described Mekhi as a special child who loved deeply and made friends easily. She says the boy loved Sonic the Hedgehog, enjoyed reading books, and playing arcade games.
"Mekhi was a very sweet little boy. He was different. When he would say I love you, he said, 'Grandma, I really love you and I want you to know I really love you. And not just because you give me things, but I mean I love you like the whole world,'" Brouillette said.
Mekhi attended G.A. Treakle Elementary School in Chesapeake and would have turned 10 on February 6. His death occurred on December 12, which was also his sister's birthday.
Community petition for change
in December, Camacho started a petition calling for a traffic light with a crosswalk system at the intersection of South Military Highway and Baugher Avenue. The petition is available for signing at Angelo's Tires and Auto Repair at 3301 S Military Highway.
"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," Camacho said.
After gathering as many signatures from neighbors as he can, Camacho plans to bring the petition to city leaders in Chesapeake.
Brouillette also expressed sympathy for the driver who struck Mekhi, calling the accident unpreventable under current conditions.
"I feel bad for what happened to Mekhi, but I feel bad about the person that hit him and couldn't help it. Even though it was unpreventable, I still can't imagine ever experiencing that and how horrible it must be," she said.
Multiple memorials with crosses, flowers, and stuffed animals mark the spot where Mekhi died, serving as a stark reminder of the deadly consequences of the intersection's safety issues.
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