HAMPTON, Va. — Police identified the bicyclist killed in a hit-and-run accident Wednesday night in Hampton as Kelly R. Kercheval, 36, of Norfolk.
According to the Hampton Police Division, officers received the call at 8:30 p.m. on the Mellen Street Bridge. Officers found Kercheval lying in the roadway. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said Kercheval was crossing the bridge on a bicycle when she was struck by a passing vehicle. The vehicle then fled the scene.
The suspect vehicle is described as a 2006–2012 silver Mercedes SUV, which was last seen traveling on the bridge toward Phoebus.
Those who know Kercheval said she made the world a better place.
"It's everybody's loss," Samantha Lowe said. "So many people are hurt from this."
Kercheval was a friend, daughter, and mother to a young girl.
"Her and her daughter were best friends," Lowe said. "They spent so much time together."
"She adored her daughter more than anything," Misty Collins said. "She always smiled, was always happy, and was a positive person and it's just so heartbreaking."
"It makes me sick to my stomach, how could you do that to another human being, just leave them there," Courtney Lowery said. "She's going to be so missed, she was so sweet."
Kercheval worked at Goody's Deli & Pub in Hampton and PETA in Norfolk. Friends described her as sweet, a fierce advocate for animals, and always smiling.
"There's no way anyone can stay mad at Kelly, she was so sweet, had a huge smile and her laugh was contagious," Collins said. "The world was a better place with Kelly in it."
Now, Kercheval's friends want information that can help Hampton Police.
"Whoever did this, I hope you do the right thing and step forward and give us closure," Collins said.
The crash remains under investigation by members of the Hampton Police Division’s Crash Reconstruction Team.
If you have any information, you're asked to call the Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP. Callers are never asked to give their names or required to testify in court. If a caller’s tip leads to an arrest, the recovery of drugs, or stolen property they could be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000.