Fairview residents say hit-and-run over the weekend highlights speeding issue

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Residents in the Fairview neighborhood are urging drivers to slow down after a child was the victim of a hit-and-run collision on Saturday.

The Anchorage Police Department said they responded to the intersection of East 17th Avenue and Karluk Street after a car hit a child on a bicycle. The investigation is ongoing, according to APD, but they said early indications are the child was biking on E. 17th avenue when the SUV didn’t stop as it turned northbound on Karluk Street.

“We just heard a big noise and one of the kids was screaming very loud,” nearby resident Junior Martinez said. “When we heard the noise we kind of already knew what happened.”

Martinez said that one of his family members immediately called 911, and a nurse who lives nearby helped treat the child before paramedics arrived. A police spokesperson said the child was transported to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries. Police have not located the driver, but did say they impounded the SUV for evidence.

Other residents who live near the scene of the hit-and-run on Saturday said they often see cars driving over the speed limit. A witness of Saturday’s hit and run told Alaska’s News Source they have reached out to the Anchorage Assembly to install speed bumps — something Martinez also feels is needed — along with signage indicating children at play.

“I don’t even let my kids play outside especially in this area because it’s really tough,” Martinez said. “Speeding I would say is the number one problem that we have.”

Anchorage residents can request traffic enforcement in a particular area of town through the Anchorage Police Department’s website.

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