RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — The two teenage victims involved in a fatal crash Thursday night near a busy intersection of Richmond Highway have been identified by Richmond Police.
18-year old Jeremiah Ruffin remains hospitalized in serious condition and 19-year-old Tracey Williams was taken to the hospital but died as a result of her injuries.
Williams’ family told 8News that her brother was Xzavier Hill. 18-year-old Hill was killed in January 2021 by Virginia State Police following a high-speed chase on Interstate-64 in Goochland County.
A woman who said she is the grandmother of Ruffin told 8News that he is unconscious, and has brain trauma.
“He’s a good kid in a world that’s gone crazy,” she said.
The police investigation revealed that neither Ruffin nor Williams was wearing their seatbelt, and both were ejected from the vehicle at the time of the collision.
The officers involved in the incident are Officer Richard Johnson and Officer DQuan Walker. Both have serious head injuries. Chief Smith said one of them has a traumatic brain injury from the incident and both are in stable condition.
Police said it is not clear at this time which vehicle struck the other and the crash is under investigation by the RPD Special Operations Division Crash Team.
Chief Smith said he hopes that the officers will be released from the hospital today.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with everybody involved and we hope that if anyone is out there who saw anything; who may have been there; who has any video, once again, please give us a call,” Smith said.
