‘Her lunch box was still in the road’: Deadly hit-and-run shocks Richmond community
VENN
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Pink flowers now sit quietly at the corner of East Cary and South Second streets in Richmond, a growing memorial placed where 23-year-old Hope Cartwright was hit and killed in a crosswalk Monday evening.
The crash took place at about 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 16. According to the Richmond Police Department, Cartwright was in the crosswalk, crossing 2nd Street eastbound, when she was hit by a driver making a left turn from East Cary Street. She was taken to a hospital, where she later died from her injuries.
"I think she was hit from the back, and she got dragged a little bit, and then the car completely ran her over," said nearby neighbor Ari Abad.
Virginia Living, a Richmond-based magazine that operates out of 109 E. Cary St., told 8News that Cartwright was an associate editor there.
“We are devastated,” said Virginia Living editor in chief Madeline Mayhood in an email to 8News. “Hope was approaching her 2nd anniversary as our associate editor at Virginia Living. She was an exceptional member of our team, despite her young age. She came to us as a quiet and shy 21-year-old, fresh out of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern. Fortunately for me, she blossomed into a real leader, ace project manager, visionary storyteller and ace editor — a real rockstar. Her death, at 23, is unfathomable. We’re all still in disbelief and shock.”
Abad's Ring camera captured footage of the crash, which she has shared with police.
"I happened to see some of her coworkers," she said. "Their coworker [Cartwright] is no longer there. Her desk is there. There's stuff, I mean, there. Her lunch box was still on the road for a few hours after she got hit."
Abad said that, in her video, she could see that the pedestrian walk sign was on at the time of the crash.
"She was in the crosswalk as that car turned," Abad said. "It seemed impossible to miss the pedestrian, because she was directly in front of the car."
Officers said the driver fled the scene before they arrived. Police have since charged 41-year-old Latesha Coleman with felony hit and run.
"It’s really heartbreaking, because we see stuff ... it must be a traffic issue in this junction here," Abad said.
Advocates said the crash reflects a broader trend.
"2025 is a rough year for pedestrian fatalities," said Natalie Rainer with BikeWalk RVA, a Sports Backers program focused on safety. "In Richmond, we lost 13 people in the street. Drivers need to pay more attention. They need to be looking for pedestrians, particularly in areas with crosswalks."
Rainer said Cartwright was the third person killed in Richmond while using a crosswalk in just a month. She added that crosswalks alone are not enough to keep people safe.
"We'd also love to see just greater infrastructure, like left turn hardening, pedestrian refuge islands, more physically reinforced infrastructure, better lighting and [other] things that really improve ... just the paint on the asphalt," Rainer said.
Anyone with additional information is asked to contact the Richmond Police Department.
