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A 37-year-old Falls Church man has died nearly a month after a driver struck him while he was riding an electric scooter near Gatehouse Plaza in Merrifield, police said.
Mesfin Abay was crossing Gallows Road eastbound at Gatehouse Road shortly before midnight on April 1 when he was hit by a northbound 2022 Toyota Corolla, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.
Abay was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries. The Toyota driver was not injured and remained at the scene.
The state medical examiner’s office notified crash investigators on April 30 that Abay had died from his injuries. Police announced his death May 1.
Detectives want to speak with anyone who may have information about the collision. Tips can be provided to the Crash Reconstruction Unit at 703-280-0543 or submitted anonymously through Crime Solvers.
Preliminary state figures show 10 traffic deaths in Fairfax County this year, though the actual total is believed to be at least 14, including Abay. Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles figures can lag behind police reports and remain subject to revision.
Fairfax County recorded 45 traffic fatalities last year, down from 55 in 2024 and a recent peak of 66 in 2022.
The DMV does not appear to separately track scooter crashes. A Reston man died after crashing an electric scooter near Reston Town Center in November 2022, and a scooter rider was seriously injured in a March 2025 hit-and-run crash in Mount Vernon.