Virginia residents are reeling after a series of crashes in recent weeks. News4 I-Team took to Prince William County to talk to residents about a recent crash that occurred. Reporters talked to Terry Metcalf, a resident of Featherstone Road, who had his parked SUV slammed into on May 3. Video footage shows the parked car being ran into by a vehicle that was reportedly drag racing on the street.
Residents have been fighting with city officials for years to help curb the speeding problem in the neighborhood.
The driver, a teenager, told police officials that he had been ran off the road, but home video footage shows the driver racing another vehicle. The teen lost control of the vehicle and hit Metcalf’s vehicle. Metcalf and his wife returned home five minutes prior to the accident and chose not to unload their SUV just yet. If the homeowners had been unloading their car, they would have been hit by the speeding vehicle.
The driver of the vehicle can be charged with speeding and reckless driving, two leading causes of motor vehicle accidents, according to Marks and Harrison.
County records show that in 2015, a survey found the area to be eligible for speed control measures, but no measures have been put in place. The president of the homeowner’s association sent News4 I-Team multiple emails documenting his fight over the last year, trying to push the county supervisor to take action against the speeding vehicles.
Virginia’s Department of Transportation (VDOT) owns Featherstone Road, making the fight even harder for residents.
VDOT argues that a speed table would hinder use of a local park, despite there being a speed table already in place near the park entrance. Police have increased their presence in the neighborhood following the crash, and VDOT officials have finally started listening to residents.
The Board of Supervisors have approved speed control in the neighborhood, and the county installed the speed table on Friday.
The news of the speed control comes during the same week when a school bus and automobile collided in Virginia Beach. The accident occurred when the school bus was filled with sixth graders and left eight people injured in the accident.
The accident occurred on Jericho Road last Wednesday, leaving the automobile “demolished” as a result.
Five students and the bus driver were taken to the hospital for evaluation and injuries. The school bus was filled with 29 students at the time of the accident. The driver of the automobile was reportedly an elderly woman who seemed disoriented after the accident.
The school bus accident is still being investigated at this time.
Students involved in the crash complained of headaches, bumps and bruises. No serious injuries seem to have occurred due to the crash. The bus driver also reported minor injuries following the accident. The driver of the automobile suffered non life-threatening injuries in the crash, according to local fire officials.
May and June are typical months where road accidents increase in Virginia, according to 2015 statistics. The highest level of road accidents is October and November, with accidents greatly increasing in the month of May.
Virginia records one crash every 4 minutes, and the vast majority of accidents do not show speed violations during the time of the accident.
