Blue Ridge Parkway hit-and-run: Man killed, investigation underway

Staff Reports
·1 min read

An investigation is underway in a suspected hit-and-run that resulted in a fatality early May 30 on the Blue Ridge Parkway, according to a news release from the National Park Service.

The release states that NPS dispatchers received a call at about 6 a.m. May 30 reporting a "deceased male in the road" near Milepost 221 on the parkway, which is in Allegheny County, near the Virginia border.

NPS law enforcement rangers arrived on scene and later confirmed the body to be that of Brandon Lee Wagoner, 33, of Sparta, North Carolina. The on-scene investigation revealed that Wagoner was struck by a vehicle, the release says.

National Park Service rangers say a North Carolina man was killed in a hit-and-run on the Blue Ridge Parkway May 30, 2023.
National Park Service rangers say a North Carolina man was killed in a hit-and-run on the Blue Ridge Parkway May 30, 2023.

Other news: Cyclist dies on Blue Ridge Parkway south of Asheville; medical emergency suspected

The parkway curves along some of the highest peaks in the Eastern United States, stretching 469 miles from its start at Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, passing through Asheville, and ending at the entrance to the Great Smokies in Cherokee. It is the most visited unit in the National Park Service, with some 15.7 million visitors in 2022.

An investigation is underway led by NPS Investigative Services Branch, with assistance from the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation, N.C. Highway Patrol and the Alleghany County Sheriffs Department.

A tip line has been established for anyone who may have traveled along the parkway area of Milepost 221 near Sparta, in the overnight or early morning hours of May 30. Contact the NPS ISB tip line at 888-653-0009 or email nps_isb@nps.gov.

This story will be updated.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Blue Ridge Parkway fatal hit-and-run, investigation underway