Local boxing legend, Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker, dies after being hit by vehicle in Virginia Beach

WTKR ^ | July 15, 2019 | Nick Boykin

[pgkdan]

Northampton Road is eight lanes with no crosswalk, so I can guess what happened.

I live not far from there and my office is a block away. Northampton Blvd is more like a highway than a regular road but it is well lit and marked and has crosswalks at every major intersection. If he was crossing at Baker Road, it's lit and has painted crosswalks.

[Drumbo]

The last time I was there (and yes it’s been a year or so) there is no crosswalk at Baker and North Hampton. I grew up less than a mile from there. North Hampton is a major divided Highway (rt 166) that overpasses Baker with entrance and exit ramps. No reason to even attempt crossing North Hampton. It must have been on Baker. If this works - here’s the over watch. https://www.google.com/maps/@36.8842579,-76.1828835,657m/data=!3m1!1e3

[GOP Congress]

Here is the actual intersection taken with evil Google's map tool (click image for higher resolution):

There are pedestrian walks crossing the smaller Baker St. Road, but no crosswalks crossing the much bigger Northampton Blvd. In addition, news reports say that the western Northampton Blvd. was closed, but not sure where Whittaker would have been hit. Perhaps in the right-turn lane from Northampton westbound to Baker St. Northbound, but that wouldn't normally close the entire side of the street. My guess is that Whittaker was trying to walk across the road toward Bojangles, and got hit by an unsuspecting motorist.

That's 100% speculation, though. Since the motorist was cooperating and there was no indication (as of yet) of any traffic infractions (DUI, speeding, texting), we'll have to wait to hear the actual sequence of events.

[Hatteras]

[Drumbo]

Police report says: “Traffic on Northampton Boulevard westbound has been shutdown. The roadway will be closed for traffic for approximately two hours.” So he was breaking the law by having the bike on a 4 lane divided highway (which has exit & entrance lanes making it a mere 10 lane road, No crosswalks there. (There is a crosswalk on Baker under the intersection, but if they closed the highway - that’s where it happened). Mopeds and bikes are prohibited on that stretch of North Hampton. Look at the sat view I posted and zoom in. Sw’pee shouldn’t been there a’tall ... ‘twa suicide imho.

[Truthoverpower]

Never ever ever never never ever trust cars!

[Mariner]

” trust NO ONE when on the road”

I pretend I am invisible. And NOBODY can see me.

[BubbaBasher]

I don’t know if it’s the same in other places but we have a real problem here with black people wearing darks clothes crossing the street in the middle of the night at some place other than the intersection and getting hit by cars. I just can’t figure out why this happens.

[LeonardFMason]

“I pretend I am invisible. And NOBODY can see me.”

PERFECT!