A woman injured in a hit-and-run near Russell Lee Park in west Louisville on Wednesday morning has died, according to the Louisville Metro Police Department. Santanna Willie Holland, 18, died at University of Louisville Hospital, according to a release from the Jefferson County Coroner's Office.
LMPD spokesperson Alicia Smiley said LMPD’s Traffic Unit is investigating the incident.
Smiley said, according to LMPD’s preliminary findings and witness reports, the vehicle was traveling northbound down Louis Coleman Dr. when it crossed over into the opposite lane and onto the sidewalk at the intersection of Dumesnil St.
Police are looking for the driver, who they said fled on foot before officers arrived at the scene. Smiley said the vehicle involved was reportedly stolen.
Data from the Kentucky State Police and Louisville Metro Public Works shows vehicular collisions resulted in nearly 120 deaths and 480 serious injuries between Jan. 1 and Nov. 30 of last year. Thirty one of the fatalities were pedestrians. The data, made available by Vision Zero Louisville — a government road safety initiative — indicates rates of fatalities and injuries affecting pedestrians on public roadways have climbed, after a slight decline from 2018 and 2020.
Last summer, the city made a commitment to join the Vision Zero Network and eliminate roadway fatalities by 2050. According to Vision Zero’s research, the key to making roadways safer lies in improving their design, including how wide they are, and regulating them more, such as by lowering speed limits in certain areas.
This story was updated to include identifying details about Santanna Willie Holland.
Correction: This article has been updated to indicate that Louisville Metro is not yet part of the national Vision Zero Network but is working on joining it
