Woman dead after being struck by vehicle in Fairfax County, police say

By Andrew Alsbrooks
July 20, 2024 | 8:52 AM

A female pedestrian is dead after being struck by a vehicle in Great Falls, Virginia, early Saturday morning.

Fairfax County police said crash happened on Leesburg Pike and Downey Drive around 4 a.m.

The woman died at the scene of the crash and the driver of the striking vehicle remained at the scene, police said.

The westbound lanes of Leesburg Pike at Downey Drive were reopened to traffic by 8:52 a.m. following a police investigation, according to the WTOP Traffic Center.

A map of where the crash happened is below:

Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

Breaking the silence around suicide: A Virginia mother shares thoughts on prevention

By Kate Ryan
September 1, 2026 | 4:22 AM

September is Suicide Prevention Month, and Betsy Stephenson, an Alexandria, Virginia, resident and a mother who lost her son to suicide, wants people to talk about it. "By not talking about suicide, we are not going to make it go away. In fact, I think that we could inadvertently give it a little more power than it deserves," she told WTOP. One of the things that Stephenson wants families to know is that people who are struggling can appear to be doing well. "You can be very high-functioning as a depressed person or an anxious person," she said. "You can be connected socially. You can be doing well at school or work. You can be making plans, smiling, laughing, engaged, but still be struggling deeply, you know, cosmically, inside."

Related Stories