Roanoke Police have arrested 42-year-old Kenneth Lynn Campbell Junior after a deadly Memorial Day crash at the intersection of Lafayette Boulevard and Melrose Avenue Northwest. Investigators say Campbell allegedly ran a red light, crashing into a Honda Civic driven by 30-year-old Jose Saenz Ventura of Roanoke, who later died from his injuries. Police say Campbell and a passenger fled the scene on foot before being located nearby. He now faces involuntary manslaughter and felony hit-and-run charges.
Deadly Memorial Day Crash In Roanoke VA
Hello,
This is a very sad case for everyone involved. I’ve been driving since 1975 and have lived in various states in the U.S. since settling in Roanoke 6 months ago. The running of red lights is becoming more and more of a dangerous issue as we just observed on Memorial Day. I don’t just mean the light turns red when they’re in the middle of the intersection, but these drivers are running the light at top speed when the light turns green in the opposite direction. I recently witnessed a tractor trailer fly through the intersection. Luckily for me I was paying attention. Otherwise I wouldn’t be able to write about it to you. Something needs to be done by the City, VADOT, or some other organization to stop this from happening. Otherwise there will be more sad stories like this one repeating itself in the future.
Thanks for your reporting.
Concerned Citizen,
Jim Laffan