Local lawyer killed during morning jog

By Dawn Jefferies
WSLS10 Anchor/Reporter
Published: January 28, 2008

It’s a street cyclists and joggers go down any given day. Monday before the sun even came up, Thomas Farrell was on his usual run when he was hit and killed.  Roanoke County Police say the driver who hit him never stopped.

“I can’t imagine someone hitting an adult then leaving the scene knowing they’ve hit an adult,“ said John Cooley. “I can see hitting a small animal and thinking it was a bump in the road but striking an adult, I just can’t imagine leaving the scene.“

Cooley never imagined hearing the news he heard this morning. “Shock, absolute shock.“

Tom worked at WootenHart for eighteen years, often running with other lawyers at the firm. He was an avid jogger, a devoted husband and father of two teenage girls.

“All of us here are really concerned about his family,“ Cooley said.

Friends say Tom was committed to his family and involved in just about any youth activity you could think of. “Soccer, baseball, swimming just about anything that involved sports and working with young people he was involved in,“ he said.

Tom’s wife was left to break the news to their two daughters while people who know him try to figure out how something like this could happen.

Tom’s friends say he always wore reflective gear when he ran so he could be seen during his early run. Police aren’t saying what if any reflective gear Tom had on Monday but they’re hoping someone saw him or the vehicle that hit and left him to die.

People who live on Springlawn Avenue say they knew a tragedy like this would happen. Neighbors say they’ve complained about speeding down the street for 15 years… and are still waiting for something to be done to slow traffic down.