WASHINGTON – A 73-year-old man who received a $5 jaywalking ticket after he was struck by a car later died from his injuries, police said.
Charles Atherton, a former secretary of the U.S. Commission on Fine Arts that advises the government on architecture and design in official Washington, was hit Thursday while crossing busy Connecticut Avenue. He died Saturday night at George Washington University Hospital.
Although witnesses said he was badly injured and unresponsive at the scene, police issued him the ticket. His family found it with his belongings when they went to the hospital.
Police Capt. Willie Smith said officers would not have issued the ticket “if we knew he was going to die.”
Police said they determined Atherton was at fault when he was hit by a car driven by a 31-year-old woman.
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