RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — This week marks one year since a car crash took the life of a 17-year-old Huguenot High School student on a road known for chronic speeding and crashes.
At around 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 26, Richmond Police Department officers responded to the intersection of West 22nd Street and Semmes Avenue for a report of a crash. 17-year-old Josie Cox, who was a passenger in one of the cars involved, was killed in the crash.
A juvenile male would later be charged with involuntary manslaughter, reckless driving and driving without a license in connection to the crash.
Cox was one of 14 people in Virginia who were killed in crashes during the weekend after last Thanksgiving. The 500 and 600 blocks of West 22nd Street are now designated as “Josie S. Cox Way.”
Nearly a year later, a memorial with flowers and a cross still sits at the intersection of West 22nd Street and Semmes Avenue — and Semmes Avenue is still known as a dangerous road by residents.
Ray Buckner, a long-time Richmonder, said that despite recent changes like additional traffic beacons and improved signal visibility, drivers still go faster than the posted speed limit of 30 miles per hour.
“I still see people kind of like, fly down this road, not really paying attention,” said Buckner.
Buckner said he wants drivers to remember what’s at stake when they’re behind the wheel.
“It’s never worth risking your life or anybody else’s life. Take your time going wherever you need to go,” said Buckner. “I understand why you might need to rush or anything like that, but always be careful, be safe and kind of think about others whenever you get into the car, because it’s not always just about you. It’s about the people that you share the road with as well.”
Speed calming on Semmes Avenue has been identified as a top need by a survey conducted by Richmond Connects focused on pedestrian safety and speed cameras were recently installed on Semmes Avenue in front of the Patrick Henry School of Science & Arts, about 12 blocks from where Cox was killed.
