The Chapel Hill Police Department is investigating a fatal collision that killed a pedestrian Friday night along one of the town’s busiest thoroughfares.

A release from the Town of Chapel Hill shortly after 11 p.m. said police officers responded at 7:41 p.m. to a report of a pedestrian hit by a driver in the 1800 block of Fordham Boulevard. That stretch of the highway — which runs between the intersection with Sage and Old Durham roads to the intersection with Eastowne Drive — has no sidewalks on either side.

Police said the pedestrian died at the scene of the crash. The town added in Friday’s alert that the driver of the vehicle remained at the scene as emergency responders and law enforcement arrived. As of Friday night, no other information about the incident is being made publicly available, according to police.

This marks the first fatal pedestrian crash reported in by the town government in 2025 — although two people were seriously injured in February after a hose fell off a Chapel Hill Fire truck as it drove to a car crash. There is no 2025 data on pedestrian or bicycle collisions on the town’s Vision Zero Dashboard, which tracks such incidents as part of the local government’s goal to “eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2031.” But a Town of Chapel Hill spokesperson confirmed to Chapelboro that Friday’s pedestrian crash was the first fatal one of the calendar year, and 12 total crashes involving pedestrians have been reported so far in 2025.

Chapel Hill documented and investigated six fatal pedestrian collisions from 2020 to 2024, including one along Fordham Boulevard in 2021.

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.

Related Stories
‹
Striving for Zero: The Struggle to End Pedestrian Deaths in The Triangle
The rate of pedestrian deaths is increasing nationwide, and NCDOT data shows that both Chapel Hill and North Carolina fit that trend.
Estes Drive Community, CHCCS Push for Improved Pedestrian Safety After Collision
Emails sent to the Chapel Hill Town Council in the last week detail several stories from residents along North Estes Drive about long-standing concerns around pedestrian safety on the road. The news of two teenage girls being struck while using a crosswalk on New Year’s Eve led to all those stories being shared — as […]
Top Stories of 2022: Chapel Hill Aims to Improve Bicycle, Pedestrian Safety After Tragedies
To reflect on the year, Chapelboro.com is re-publishing some of the top stories that impacted and defined our community’s experience in 2022. These stories and topics affected Chapel Hill, Carrboro and the rest of our region. In 2021, the Town of Chapel Hill adopted its “Vision Zero Commitment”: a global strategy advocating for policies and […]
Chapel Hill Police: Pedestrian Struck, Driver Charged in Franklin Street Collision
A collision between a driver and a pedestrian in Chapel Hill Thursday night ended with a trip to the hospital and minor charges being issued. The Chapel Hill Police Department confirmed to Chapelboro that police officers and members of the Chapel Hill Fire Department responded to a call about a pedestrian being injured along East […]
Chapel Hill Police Charge Multiple ATV and Dirt Bike Drivers With Safety Violations
Six ATV and dirt bike drivers, including a Hillsborough resident, have been charged with safety violations following forays into downtown Chapel Hill. A release from the Chapel Hill Police Department describes “numerous recent weekends” when “a group of several dozen ATV and dirt bike drivers have come into downtown Chapel Hill via Fordham Boulevard and […]
Police: Driver Charged After Pedestrian Struck in Chapel Hill Crosswalk
The Chapel Hill Police Department reported a pedestrian collision along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard on Friday afternoon. A release from the town said police officers responded to a report of a struck pedestrian just before 4 p.m., who was crossing in a crosswalk toward Longview Street. The person was transported to UNC Hospitals for […]
Chapel Hill Police: Pedestrian Hit Using Estes Drive Crosswalk Tuesday
One person was injured Tuesday morning after a pedestrian collision at the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Estes Drive. Chapel Hill Police were called to the scene around 10:50 a.m. Their investigation found that Jason Ward, 46, was driving south on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and made a left turn to travel […]
Chapel Hill Police Charge Durham Driver for Injuring 2 Teens on Estes Drive
After completing an investigation into a collision that injured two teenaged pedestrians, the Chapel Hill Police Department announced it is charging a driver. Norma Martin, a 69-year-old from Durham, faces the charge of Failure to Yield to Pedestrian in a Clearly Marked Crosswalk or Regular Pedestrian Crossing. The charge stems from a crash along Estes […]
Durham Man Charged in Collision with Injured UNC Student
The Chapel Hill Police Department charged a Durham man for his involvement in a motor vehicle collision with a pedestrian this weekend. Nicholas Boyd, 46, will face a charge of failure to yield the right of way to a pedestrian in a crosswalk. The family of Sinclair Larson, a junior at UNC, shared about the collision […]
Chapel Hill Police Investigating Hit and Run; 1 Pedestrian Injured
The Chapel Hill Police Department is investigating a hit and run motor vehicle collision that left a pedestrian injured Sunday night. A release from the Town of Chapel Hill said the collision happened shortly after 6 p.m. on Old Durham Road near Scarlett Drive. Authorities said the vehicle involved did not remain at the scene […]
›