Warrenton,VI : VDOT agrees to install rumble strips after two die in Remington crash on June, Tuesday 13th 2017
A fiery crash that killed two people and critically injured a good Samaritan trying to save them Monday in Remington has left a community asking what can be done to prevent the same thing from happening again.
And local government officials have stepped up to take immediate action.
The day after the crash at James Madison Highway and Freeman’s Ford Road, Fauquier County Supervisor Chris Butler met with officials from the Virginia Department of Transportation and spoke with Sheriff Bob Mosier about implementing more safety measures at the intersection. Butler said VDOT has agreed to install rumble strips leading up to the intersection within the next week, a suggestion made months ago in an online petition after another fatal accident. Mosier said his office will double up on its already increased traffic enforcement efforts in the area.
“It breaks my heart when anyone loses their life in traffic in the unfortunate circumstance that someone takes their eyes off of the road, even for a split second,” said Butler. “If you take nothing else away from this, it’s that you’ve got to pay attention to your driving.”
Around 7:30 a.m. on June 12, a 2000 Oldsmobile Bravado and a 2011 Toyota Corolla were in the northbound lanes of Route 29 stopped at the light at the intersection of Freeman’s Ford Road, said Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller.
As a 2003 Ford F-250 pickup truck approached the intersection - headed north on Route 29 – it failed to stop in time, Geller said.
The F-250 first struck the stopped Oldsmobile and the impact of that crash spun the Oldsmobile into the median, where it caught fire, said Geller, and the F-250 then struck the Toyota.
The driver of the Oldsmobile that caught fire, Juan Lopez Jimenez, 37, and passenger, Hortencia Lainez Lopez, 38, both of Culpeper, both died at the scene.
The driver of the F-250, a 34-year-old Gordonsville man, suffered minor injuries and was treated at the scene. The driver of the Toyota, a 59-year-old Culpeper man, was transported to Fauquier Hospital for non-life threatening injuries.
Police say a 46-year-old Culpeper man who was not involved in the crash ran up to the burning Oldsmobile and tried to rescue the people inside. The man suffered serious burns as a result of his rescue attempts and was flown to Inova Fairfax Hospital for treatment.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation, Geller said, and charges are pending.
Butler said Tuesday morning that he and his colleagues will issue a formal letter to VDOT by the close of business on Tuesday. The letter will request a reduction of the 60 mph speed limit leading up to the intersection as well as the installation of rumble strips. Butler said Martin Nesbit at the Fauquier VDOT office told him Tuesday morning that rumble strips will be installed on the north and southbound lanes leading up the intersection as soon as within a seven days.
“These are the first two measures we are going to ask for,” said Butler. “That gives us time to have discussions about what else can be done.”
After a 5-year-old boy lost his life and his siblings were seriously injured on Thanksgiving Day in a crash at the same intersection, Remington resident Stephanie Litter-Reber began an online petition asking Gov. Terry McAuliffe, VDOT and other government entities to make changes. The petition asks to reduce the speed limit from Opal to the county line, to add rumble strips to refocus distracted drivers and to remove the flashing yellow arrow lights.
The petition prompted VDOT to conduct a safety survey of the intersection, which was presented in Remington in March. According to the study, when rumble strips were installed on James Madison Highway northbound near Vint Hill Road and near Shelby Road in Madison County, there was “no positive impact for the cost.”
“In light of [the crash on Monday] I think the assumption that putting rumble strips in won't help is categorically wrong,” said Litter-Reber.
Litter-Reber argues that rumble strips would be effective for getting the attention of drivers who aren’t familiar with the road and don’t anticipate having to stop at a light.
Since the November accident, some steps have already been taken to make the intersection more safe. A cut-over was installed in the roadway by VDOT in between Opal and the county line May 19, so that law enforcement officers can better patrol the area.
“After the last accident we stepped up patrols and we will continue to increase patrols,” said Mosier. “We are utilizing the resources we have and are looking at adding additional deputies to traffic enforcement. The key to all of this is consistent enforcement.”
Mosier said there has been a significant increase in traffic summons issued in the area this year compared to last.
The sheriff urges drivers to pay attention, put down their phones, put down their coffee and not engage in anything else while they are behind the wheel. Mosier, who spoke about distracted driving at a National Sheriff’s Association traffic safety meeting in February, asks lawmakers to address the issue in the legislature.
“When you combine distraction with speed, that spells death,” said Mosier.
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VDOT agrees to install rumble strips after two die in Remington crash