Another Asheville pedestrian is dead — at least the sixth such fatality to take place in the city this year — following an Oct. 8 collision in north Asheville.
The Asheville Police Department announced that Drew Jay Cherner, who was hit by an SUV while walking on Old Stone Gate Place, died at Mission Hospital Oct. 11 from injuries he sustained in the crash. Cherner was walking in the same direction as the vehicle when he was struck.
The driver of the SUV remained on site after the collision, according to an APD press release, and received a citation for failure to reduce speed. The Citizen Times was not able to find documentation of the event through the APD’s Police to Citizen website. An APD spokesperson did not immediately respond to a phone
call and email seeking comment.
Asheville has long been among North Carolina’s most dangerous places for pedestrians. The city ranked first in the state per capita in pedestrian crashes over the decade leading up to 2024, as previously reported by the Citizen Times, and suffered the state’s seventh-most fatal crashes per capita over the same period.
Prior pedestrian deaths in Asheville this year have included Daniel Anthony Duryea on Jan. 3, Eric Jonathan Cope on Jan. 22, Andrew Robert Angstead on April 4, Linda Jean Johnson on July 27, Andrew Joseph Kolvick on Sept. 10.
The APD is continuing to investigate the crash, according to the press release, and will consult with the Buncombe County District Attorney’s office on any further charges. The department encourages anyone with information on the incident to reach out via phone at 828-252-1110, texting TIP2APD to 847411, or the TIP2APD smartphone app.
Daniel Walton is the City Government Watchdog Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times. Email him at dwalton@citizentimes.com, and connect with him on social media through Facebook, Instagram, or Reddit.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville pedestrian dies after being hit by SUV
