CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — A Chesterfield resident speaks out after hearing a deadly crash that took place in the Midlothian area near his home, killing one person.
According to Chesterfield County Police, the crash occurred shortly before 12:15 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 30 near the intersection of Brandermill Parkway and Barnes Spring Road. Chesterfield resident Corey Ambers said he heard the crash while he was in his home.
Ambers said he was watching ESPN when he heard a loud sound that he first thought was thunder or an HVAC exploding, but soon found out it was a car crash.
“I heard sirens that came out here and just saw about 20 firefighters, five cops, cops all the way down the road and then I could see the car up in the woods, and saw they were trying to use some sort of equipment trying to get the door open—it was a scene like I had never seen before,” Ambers said.
According to police, a 2016 Chevrolet Impala was driving north on Barnes Spring Road when it went off the road and hit a tree. The person that was in the passenger seat of the car was pronounced dead at the scene.
The car’s other occupants, including the driver, were transported to area hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries, according to officials.
Ambers said small accidents, such as fender benders and T-bones, occasionally happen at the intersection, but none of them have been deadly.
“It’s a 30 mile [speed] zone throughout all Brandermill Parkway, this whole strip,” Ambers said. “There [are] cars that speed sometimes, but to be going that fast and for that to happen is just, this is very unfortunate.”
Due to the rainy conditions that took place during Friday’s overnight hours, Ambers said weather, as well as the chance that the driver may have been unfamiliar of the roadway, may have played a factor in causing the crash.
“If you’re not used to the road and you just lose track of what you’re doing, [the car is] going off [the road], and hitting brakes too slow with the wet mud like [that] it can happen, but [the road is] pretty tight, especially if someone was coming [head on]. It gets narrow right there,” Ambers said.
Chesterfield Police has not released the cause of the crash nor the identities of those involved as they continue to investigate this incident.
Due to the holiday weekend, officials said updates about this incident are expected to be released early next week.
This is a developing story, stay with 8News for updates.
