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A 32-year-old West Virginia man is in fair condition at Inova Fairfax Hospital after suffering the loss of his left arm Saturday because of a hit-and-run driver. According to Fairfax County police, Christopher Pinkerton of Barboursville, W.Va., was walking east on Route 29, approaching West Ox Road in Fairfax, around 3:30 a.m., when the tragedy occurred.
Police say a vehicle traveling east on Route 29 struck the man and severed his arm; the driver fled. A passing motorist saw Pinkerton, immediately called 911 and stayed with him until emergency personnel arrived. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
Police say he was in Virginia attending a conference at the Dulles Expo Center. He was apparently walking back to the hotel where he was staying but, they say, being unfamiliar with the area, he got lost and couldn't find it.
After the incident, police looked for an older-model, Oldsmobile Cutlass Cierra with minor front-end damage and possible passenger-side damage to the windshield and side-view mirror. The car also had a missing radio antenna.
On Monday afternoon, police developed information leading to the home of the man they believe is responsible for the accident. He is Edward Sliter, 21, of the 12000 block of Goodwood Drive in Fairfax. Police arrested him and charged him with felony hit and run.
Police declined Tuesday to reveal any specifics about what led them to Sliter. But, they say, his home is less than one mile from the scene of the accident — and a 1994 Oldsmobile Cutlass was found "with damage consistent with the accident."
Sliter surrendered to police Monday and was booked into jail, shortly before midnight. By Tuesday, 1:35 a.m., he was released on $30,000 bond. He was arraigned, later that day, and has a June 16 court date. If convicted, he could be sentenced to as much as five years in prison.