Portsmouth Woman is Charged with Murder After Deaths of Children in I-264 Crash

The holidays are some of the deadliest times on the roads of Virginia and Labor Day this year was no exception with at least four deaths being recorded in the Tidewater area.

I was alarmed to read about how two people died in a single-vehicle crash on Interstate 264 in Portsmouth on Monday.

WAVY.com reported the accident occurred on westbound I-264 at the Greenwood Drive exit ramp. Drivers faced traffic delays in the area while police investigated. The cause of the wreck remained unclear on Monday night.

The Virginian–Pilot reported that a woman had been charged with murder over the accident. The Pilot reported a woman who was speeding, tried to exit the highway.

The 20-year-old from Portsmouth, was driving the 2003 Honda Pilot SUV, which was clocked at 77 mph in a 55 mph zone by a Virginia State trooper’s radar before losing control at the Greenwood Drive exit ramp, according to police.

Tragically, two girls aged 8 and 5 both of Dale Drive in Portsmouth, were pronounced dead at the scene after a trooper and then paramedics tried to revive them. Neither of the girls had been wearing a seatbelt. A one-year-old in the car was in a proper safety child restraint and survived the crash.

Police said alcohol did not play a factor in the accident. The driver was later charged with two counts of second-degree murder, felony elude, driving while suspended, reckless driving by speed, and three counts of felony child neglect. She received no bond and is currently being held in Portsmouth City Jail, the Pilot reported.

This is a terrible accident and my thoughts are with the family of those who died. It came at the end of a deadly weekend on the roads of Hampton Roads. On Sunday a Virginia Beach man died when he was ejected from his car during a crash on I-264 in Norfolk.

Sgt. Michelle Anaya with Virginia State Police said 51-year-old Roger Albert Cornwall was driving a 2002 Acura west on I-264 near N. Military Highway on the outside lanes when he lost control of the car he was and ran off the road into a ditch. He was ejected from the car.

Investigators do not believe alcohol was a factor in the crash but say Cornwall was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash.

Meanwhile in York County, a 66-year-old woman died in a single vehicle crash on Monday morning.

Sgt. Michelle Anaya of Virginia State Police said at 9:45 a.m. Mary Barber was driving east on I-64 when she attempted to change lanes. When she went to make the change another vehicle was already in the lane Anaya said. Barber then over corrected, ran off the road and hit a tree head-on.

Medics pronounced the woman dead at the scene. Sgt. Anaya said Barber was not wearing a seat belt. Investigators said alcohol or speed were not factors in this crash.

In all of these crashes a failure to wear a seatbelt was a significant factor. There is a wide body of research that seatbelts save lives and it’s the law in Virginia. You should always buckle up and make sure children are restrained.

Family members of deceased passengers often have grounds to file a lawsuit against the driver’s insurance policy. Call Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers at 757.455.0077 for a free consultation if you have been injured due to the fault of another driver or if you have lost a loved one.