The family of Dakota Grimsby, the 27-year-old Poolesville man who died after being struck in a hit-and-run collision in September, has established a memorial fund aimed at improving traffic and pedestrian safety in Poolesville.
Dakota’s parents, Joseph Grimsby and Dina Vulpis, announced the creation of the Dakota Grimsby Memorial Traffic Safety Fund, with contributions made through a GoFundMe campaign going directly to the Town of Poolesville.
According to the family, the Town will place the proceeds into a dedicated municipal fund, separate from its General Fund. No campaign funds will pass through the family’s personal bank accounts.
The fund will support traffic-safety initiatives, pedestrian protection, and enhanced law-enforcement or public-safety presence in Poolesville. The family said a primary focus will be providing a visible police presence during the hours following Poolesville Day.“Our hope is that a visible police presence during the hours following Poolesville Day will serve as a deterrent and help everyone make it home safely,” the family wrote.
The Town of Poolesville Commissioners have expressed support for the effort and will partner with the family. In a letter presented to the family during Dakota’s services, commissioners said they were “honored to partner” with the family in its effort to make Poolesville safer and pledged to use available resources to help prevent a similar tragedy.“Our hope is that this will become an enduring part of Dakota’s legacy – something that helps protect others in the community he called home,” Grimsby’s parents wrote.
According to the family, the Town has agreed that 100% of the net proceeds it receives through the campaign, after standard GoFundMe processing fees, will be used for the traffic and pedestrian safety purposes established in the agreement, without municipal administrative overhead charges.
Grimsby died following a pedestrian collision that occurred at approximately 1:51am on Sunday, September 20, near Fisher Ave. and Milford Mill Rd. in Poolesville.
According to Montgomery County Police, Grimsby was struck near 19630 Fisher Ave. and transported to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries, where he later died. Police said the driver left the scene following the collision.
Detectives recovered vehicle debris that indicated the striking vehicle may have been a 2020-2023 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 or 3500. After police distributed flyers throughout Poolesville, a tip from a resident helped detectives identify a suspect, according to police.
Police later arrested 26-year-old Frederick resident Travis Edward Lowe and charged him with failure to return and remain at a collision involving death and related traffic charges. The Collision Reconstruction Unit continued to investigate the collision.
The family said the memorial fund is intended to remember Dakota through an effort that could help prevent another tragedy in the community. “Thank you for helping us remember Dakota in a way that may help prevent a tragedy like this from happening again,” his parents wrote.
