Thomas Farrell

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Map

• See a map of the place in Southwest Roanoke County where Thomas Farrell was hit Monday morning

General running safety tips

• Ditch the headphones. Music might impair the chances of receiving a verbal warning of an oncoming threat.
• Carry identification. Include your name, phone numbers and blood type on the inside sole of your shoe.
• Carry a cellphone. Know the locations of call boxes and telephones along your regular route.
• Alter or vary your running route. Run in familiar areas if possible.
• Run with a partner, even a dog. Groups are more visible.
• Write down or leave word of the direction of your run. Tell friends and family your favorite routes.
• Run against traffic. It’s easier to spot and be spotted.
• Wear reflective material. It’s important to be visible, especially in low light.

Source: Road Runners Club of America

Update (2:30 p.m.): Police continue to search for hit-and-run vehicle

When Grimes Creasy pulled into the parking lot of the Roanoke Athletic Club at 5 a.m. Thursday, he was greeted by a familiar site: Thomas Farrell, sporting a bright orange vest, was ready to run.

And so the two lawyers set off on a four-mile route like they had dozens of times before, chatting through the cold January air about sports and politics and news and family.

It was the last time Creasy, who met Farrell at the athletic club almost eight years ago, would run with his friend.

Farrell, 49, was killed during a run about 5:45 a.m. Monday after being hit by a vehicle across the street from Cave Spring Elementary School, according to Roanoke County Police.

Police are still looking for the vehicle that struck Farrell and have no other information about the accident.

"It's taken everybody by surprise," Creasy said. "He had a great sense of humor, just a smart guy and a lot of fun to be around."

A serious athlete, Farrell completed the SunTrust Richmond Marathon in November.

Creasy said that Farrell was always a safe runner -- facing traffic, wearing reflective gear and often running with others.

When the two men ran, they did so in the morning to avoid heavy traffic. But still, close calls were plentiful.

"You'll see the cars starting to veer off the side of the road," Creasy said.

And while friends said that Farrell took proper precautions while running, the accident underscores the need for awareness from both pedestrians and motorists using the roadway.

"We think that we're doing something healthy and that things can't happen to us," said Blaine Lewis, co-owner of Fleet Feet, a shoe store that caters to runners in Roanoke. "But we've got to think about all the distractions people have when they're traveling."

In 2006, 83 pedestrians were killed by motor vehicles in Virginia, according to the Virginia State Police.

Nationally there were 4,784 deaths, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Neither agency keeps records of how many were runners.

Springlawn Avenue in Southwest Roanoke County, where Farrell's body was found, has been the center of residents' concerns for some years because of the high speed and volume of traffic along the straight, residential road.

"About once a year, we would have a car wreck in the ditch," said Kevin Clifford, who lived at Springlawn and Merriman Road until the summer of 2006. "It's a shame, but I'm not shocked by it by any means."

Such concerns were addressed by Roanoke County officials in 2005 after residents filed a petition to close the road to motor vehicle traffic.

A study found that almost 1,000 cars passed through the neighborhood every day.

"The road is probably capable of carrying the traffic, but it's just a lot of traffic through a residential neighborhood," said Arnold Covey, director of community development in Roanoke County.

Covey said that officials plan to begin traffic-calming measures in the neighborhood this spring, which include installing a median where Springlawn intersects Ranchcrest Drive and a speed hump along Springlawn, and allowing only a right turn at Springlawn and Merriman.

Farrell, who leaves a wife and two daughters, was a lawyer and partner at WootenHart PLC in Roanoke, where he worked mostly on medical malpractice cases. Co-workers described Farrell as a hardworking man and great lawyer.

And that ethic seemed to transcend office walls.

"We would jokingly call it [running] an addiction," Creasy said. "He is going to be missed in the running community, in the legal community. ... He's just one of those guys that when you mentioned his name there was always something positive to say."

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call Roanoke County Police at 562-3266.