A student hit and killed a pedestrian with his vehicle at around 6 p.m. on Avent Ferry Road near Centennial Parkway Wednesday.
Brandon Norris, a junior in construction engineering and management, was driving his pick-up truck when he hit Mahasen Moselhy Ahmed Shalaby, 72. Shalaby and her husband were attempting to cross the street when the accident occurred, according to Jim Sughrue, the public information officer for the Raleigh Police Department. Shalaby’s husband was not injured.
Shalaby and her husband were on an extended stay from Egypt, visiting their son Waeil Ashmawi, an assistant professor in mechanical and aerospace engineering.
Steve Harris, a freshman in biological engineering, said he ran down to the scene from Avent Ferry Complex after he received a phone call from a friend.
“They tried CPR, but it just didn’t work,” Harris said.
Although witness Mark Smith claimed the car was “obviously” driving over the speed limit based on the disctance Shalaby was thrown, Sughrue said the car “was believed to be traveling below the speed limit.”
Smith was out in the parking lot of Western Manor apartments when Shalaby was struck. He said he often saw Shalaby walking on the “street-side of the curb.”
The area surrounding the intersection of Avent Ferry Road and Centennial Parkway is a dangerous place for pedestrians and bicyclers, according to Don Palmquist, who lives near Avent Ferry Road. Palmquist said a car struck him on his bike at the intersection a few years ago.
He said the sidewalks along the road were once designated areas for bikes; he said he thinks the sidewalks were undesignated because of the problem with accidents.
“This is a pretty sketchy area,” Palmquist said.
Palmquist and others said they weren’t surprised after hearing the news about Shalaby because of the intersection’s dangerous nature.
According to Sughrue, no charges are being filed against Norris.