Fatal accidents involve illegal drivers

Carrie J. Sidener / Lynchburg News & Advance
Published: March 1, 2008

At least 19 people have died on Lynchburg-area roads over the past five years in crashes where one driver had a revoked or suspended license, records show. Many more have been injured.

Here is a look at several crashes in Central Virginia since 2002 that resulted in death or serious injury where a driver was illegally behind the wheel.

The information is based on reports from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System database managed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, court records where available, Virginia State Police records and The News & Advance archives.

- March 3, 2002: Kenneth Lee Tinnell of Manassas Park loses control of his pickup truck in a curve on Virginia 655 in Nelson County and hits a tree. He dies two weeks later. His driver's license was suspended at the time. Police say alcohol was a factor in the crash.

- May 20, 2002: Gordon Lewis Meredith, 26, of Lovingston dies after his car hits a guardrail on Virginia 151, flips, slides on its roof and off a bridge. His license was suspended at the time of the crash, and five prior suspension orders had been filed against him.

- Sept. 14, 2002: James Edward Sines III, 24, of Bedford dies on Virginia 122 when the car in which he was a passenger runs off the road in a curve and flips. The driver, Michael Channing Coffey of Bedford, was injured along with another passenger. Coffey was driving with a suspended license. He pleaded guilty in Bedford County Circuit Court to maiming while driving while intoxicated, involuntary manslaughter, and driving while intoxicated and was sentenced to two years in prison.

- Dec. 31, 2002: James Albert Owen III, 20, and Michael L. Schieren, 24, die after the car Owen was driving ran off the road and hit a tree on Virginia 616 in Appomattox County. Owens' license was suspended. He had four suspensions on record and two driving under the influence convictions. Police say alcohol was a factor in the crash.

- Aug. 15, 2003: Jason Price Arnold, 19, of Blue Ridge dies after his truck veers off Virginia 723 in Bedford County and flips in an alcohol-related crash. He did not have a valid license and had four suspensions and a DUI conviction on his record.

- Feb. 9, 2004: Christopher Jay Martin, 22, of Concord, a passenger on a motorcycle driven by Kenneth Wayne Lacy, 44, of Concord dies when he and Lacy are thrown from the bike after it runs off Doss Road, near Concord, and strikes some trees in an alcohol-related crash. Lacy did not have a valid license and had two suspensions on his record. He was convicted of involuntary manslaughter by driving while intoxicated and a second offense of driving while impaired. He was sentenced to five years in prison with a five-year suspended sentence.

- Feb. 23, 2005: Three cars collide on U.S. 501 in Campbell County, killing Darryl B. Younger, 42, of Naruna. The driver that caused the collision, Tammy Boaz, fled the scene. She was driving on a revoked license and had been suspended twice prior to the crash. Police say alcohol was a factor. Boaz, 39, was convicted of aggravated manslaughter while driving while intoxicated, two counts of driving while impaired, two counts of driving on a revoked license, felony hit and run, and maiming while driving while impaired. Boaz was sentenced to 34 years in prison.

- Oct. 2, 2005: Tabetha Jean Gregory, driving on a suspended license, runs her car off the road and overturns on Virginia 668 in Bedford County, killing her 40-year-old passenger, Mark Ives Floyd. Gregory's Florida license was suspended at the time of the crash. Police say alcohol was a factor. Gregory was convicted of aggravated involuntary manslaughter and driving under the influence and sentenced to almost three years in prison.

- April 15, 2006: Angela Michelle Schuster, driving on a suspended license, runs off the road in her car, strikes a fence and overturns on Virginia 608 in Bedford County. Schuster, 29, died later that day. Police say alcohol was a factor.

- July 29, 2006: Keester Edwin Mcguire II, driving on a suspended license, runs his SUV off the road and hits a tree on Virginia 709 in Bedford County, killing himself. Mcguire, 28, had 16 suspensions on his record.

- Oct. 7, 2006: Laura King, 19, of Rustburg dies after running her car off the road in a curve and hitting a tree on Tardy Mountain Road in Campbell County. King was driving on a suspended license. Police say alcohol was a factor.

- Oct. 16, 2006: Ronnie Edward Taylor, 41, of Gladys dies when he swerves into oncoming traffic on U.S. 501 and hits a car head-on. Taylor's license was suspended and he had three suspensions on his record.

- Oct. 22, 2006: Allen Wayne Brown II dies after driving off the side of Virginia 757 in Bedford County and hitting a building. He had three suspensions on record, including a current one, and police say alcohol was a factor in the crash.

- Nov. 6, 2006: The Barrick family - Andrew and his wife Linda, their 15-year-old daughter Jennifer and 11-year-old son Josh - are injured when a pick-up truck hits their van head-on at the intersection of Forest Park and Waterlick roads. The pick-up truck driver, Corey Dennis Peters, 26, of Big Island was driving on a suspended license and had two prior drunk-driving convictions. Charges against Peters are on hold because injuries from the crash make him not competent to stand trial.

- June 18, 2007: Calvin Lee Megginson, 58, of Concord dies when his dune buggy is hit by a pick-up truck on Dreaming Creek Road in Appomattox. The pick-up truck driver - Anthony Barnes, 49, of Concord - is facing a second-degree murder charge and had his license revoked from previous drunk-driving convictions. He is expected to appear in court on March 13.

- July 16, 2007: Justin Ryan Smith, 20, of Forest dies when his car runs off Bellevue Road, strikes a tree and overturns. He was being pursued by a Bedford County deputy trying to stop him for speeding. Smith's license was revoked on a drunk driving charge.

- Dec. 29, 2007: Tony and Ashley Johnson die after their car is hit head-on on Fort Avenue. Their daughter, Brihanna, survived. The driver who hit them, Herbert James Jr., 27, of Lynchburg, also dies. His driver's license was suspended; he had been convicted for driving on a suspended or revoked license seven times since 2002.