NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — For several months, Chris Cartrette and his family have been waiting to find out if criminal charges would be brought against the driver who hit and killed their loved one, Lisa Roemer.
“Its been very very hard,” Cartrette said.
Cartrette, Roemer’s son-in-law, says she was hit by a car on Granby Street back in May as she was leaving the Norfolk Greek Festival.
She died shortly after.
“She was there with her youngest daughter, Jackie, and they had left, they had just parked in different areas. She went one way, her daughter went the other way, they were leaving for the night,” he said.
Cartrette says he received an email from the Norfolk Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney last week explaining the decision to not pursue charges.
The email stated the speed limit on Granby was 35 miles per hour and the driver was going 43.
It also goes on to say that the streetlight near the crosswalk Roemer was walking near was not illuminated.
The email states they looked at both involuntary manslaughter and reckless driving charges, but the case didn’t support a criminal charge.
The email also states that 8 miles over the speed limit is not enough to prove an utter disregard of the safety of others.
Cartrette says his family was hoping for a different answer.
“It might not have been 20 over, 30 over, but if he was going the speed limit of 35, who knows? She could be here today.” he said.
He says his family will also push for changes to the crosswalk near where Roemer was hit.
“My wife really wants something done, there area a lot of crosswalks up Granby street and stuff and we have one here locally in Chesapeake, doesn’t seem like it would cost a lot of money, they’re solar powered, you push a button and it flashes something like that to be installed would be ideal,” said Cartrette.
If you would like to see the full email, we’ve posted it below.
