PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) – Virginia State Police are investigating a fatal crash that occurred early Tuesday morning in Portsmouth, the fourth in this area since the beginning of 2023.
Police say that at approximately 12:27 a.m. on Interstate 264, a 2017 Nissan Maxima driven by 21-year-old Kishaun Clark was exiting off at Greenwood Drive when he ran off the roadway and struck a tree.
According to officials, Clark was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash.
Police are still investigating if alcohol was a contributing factor in the crash, but say that speed was a factor in the incident.
Clark’s deadly crash follows similar ones in January, February and August for a total of four this year. It’s the seventh deadly crash at this location in less than three years.
“This is a unique interchange. You’ve got a lot of ramps coming and going in different directions,” said Virginia State Police Public Relations Director Corinne Geller. “Quite often, we’ll try to have a trooper stage at an emergency crossover or safely in the median. And that’s a unique challenge in this particular location because it’s mainly interstate ramps.”
Geller says state police work closely with the Virginia Department of Transportation when certain locations demand more attention.
“Our first sergeant in those areas are always looking for: is there a pattern? And they have four in one area. It definitely raises it in priority for us.”
VDOT Spokesman Tim Kelley sent a statement to 10 On Your Side:
Anytime a fatality occurs on a VDOT-maintained roadway, our traffic engineering staff perform a comprehensive field review to determine if roadway improvements are necessary at that location. In addition, VDOT Traffic Engineering staff proactively review areas that may be considered for potential improvements so that a solution can be developed and funding identified.
While a review will be initiated upon availability of the final police report, there are no active studies ongoing regarding this particular location.
VDOT and the Virginia State Police (VSP) share the common goal of safety for motorists. This partnership includes the analysis of incidents along our roadways as well as incident response coordination when they do occur.
Alert drivers can make all the difference in a location like the Greenwood Drive interchange, which is close to the junction of Interstates 264, 64 and 664.
“Make sure you’re driving distraction free, slowing down and complying with speed limits, especially when you have a congested area like this particular instance,” Geller said.
State law allows the use of phones only in hands-free mode, unless someone is dialing 911.
Continue to check WAVY.com for updates.