Woman charged in death of pedestrian

Published 10:02 pm Monday, November 30, 2009

A Suffolk man died Friday following a crash involving an alleged drunk driver in Virginia Beach.

Hunter Richardson, 23, a 2004 graduate of Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, died about 12 hours after being hit at Town Center in Virginia Beach.

Natasha Herzog, 29, has been charged with a second offense of driving under the influence, refusal to take a breath test, maiming and manslaughter, said Virginia Beach spokeswoman Margie Hobbs.

Email newsletter signup

Richardson and another pedestrian were crossing Columbus Street about 12:54 a.m. Friday when they were hit by Herzog’s SUV, Hobbs said. Richardson was transported to the hospital suffering from internal injuries; he died about 1:15 p.m. The other pedestrian is expected to recover from her injuries.

According to his obituary, Richardson was a football and basketball player at NSA and graduated from Virginia Tech in 2008 with a Bachelor of Science degree. He was employed by Skiff’s Creek Towing in Hampton.

A memorial service will be held Tuesday at 11 a.m. at Centenary United Methodist Church, Portsmouth.

Richardson was one of 13 people killed in traffic crashes in Virginia during the Thanksgiving holiday. Two others besides Richardson were pedestrians. A total of four of the crashes involved alcohol.

Of the eight people who died in vehicles, four were not wearing their safety belts, despite a Click It or Ticket enforcement wave Virginia State Police had conducted earlier in the week, state police said in a press release.