Martinsville, VA : Troutville woman dies in I-64 wreck on Sunday, July 16, 2017

A part-time Bedford County firefighter and paramedic from Troutville was killed on Interstate 64 in Albemarle County on Sunday when police said a wrong-way driver caused a head-on collision.

Virginia State Police were alerted to a green pickup truck driving recklessly in the westbound lanes of the interstate just after 6 a.m. When officers pursued the vehicle, the driver – identified as Winston J. Smith II, 32, of Staunton, crossed the median, into the eastbound lanes, and drove the wrong way, state police spokeswoman Corinne Geller wrote in an email.

Smith’s Isuzu pickup truck struck a Hyundai sedan, driven by Bethany M. Franklin, heading eastbound and the collision caused both vehicles to strike a Ford F-150 pickup truck, according to state police. Smith and Franklin, 30, of Troutville, died at the scene.

Both were wearing seatbelts. The driver of the Ford F-150, identified only as an adult male, was transported to the University of Virginia Medical Center for minor injuries.

Bedford County Fire Marshal Jeff Pauley said Sunday by phone Franklin was hired in July 2009 and worked full-time for Bedford County Fire & Rescue as a firefighter and paramedic.

“She was a great employee,” Pauley said. “She was one of our earlier hires when we first start-ed hiring career staff.”

Franklin continued to work part-time for the county when she went back to school more than a year ago, Pauley said. She was stationed at the Moneta Volunteer Fire Department for a number of years, he said.

In a Facebook post Sunday, the Moneta department sent condolences to Franklin’s family and said Franklin “will be missed by many.” She also helped with department fundraisers, the post said.

Pauley described Franklin as “extremely professional” and would not hesitate to “get in and get her hands dirty” when it came to emergency services.

“She was awesome,” he said. “She was a wonderful person. It’s certainly a shock to everyone in our system.”

Police still are investigating the crash at this time.

Source :
Troutville woman dies in I-64 wreck, state police say