NORFOLK, Va. — A pedestrian died after he was hit by a car on Colley Avenue Tuesday night, Norfolk police say.
The crash happened just before 9 p.m. in the 5200 block of Colley Avenue. That's near the end of Colley Avenue right before the bridge.
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Police say Leo LaRue, 61, was taken to the hospital, but did not survive.
The driver stayed at the scene after the crash and was not injured, police say.
Friends of LaRue who spoke with News 3 said he was quite the explorer. He loved geocaching, riding his bicycle, walking his dogs, and even taking lengthy hikes and walks overseas.
They are devastated by the sudden loss of their friend.
“Now, we don’t have him, and he died right in front of his house," said Andrew Hund, who met LaRue about 14 years ago when Hund opened a bike shop.
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John Baldwin, another friend, said LaRue is survived by his husband Kirk. The two were passionate about walking, even walking the Camino de Santiago twice.
“He had a wonderful relationship with his husband, Kirk, who’s also just a very dear man," Baldwin said.
Hund told News 3 that before he moved out of town, he worked tirelessly to push for increased safety measures at Colley Avenue.
“We got the speed limit lowered to 20, which was a huge difference," said Hund.
However, he thinks more needs to be done to prevent further tragedies.
“But maybe it’s time for a flashing red light there... People come light a jet airplane over that bridge…”
The crash is still under investigation. Anyone with information on the crash is asked to call the Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP.
