DALE CITY, Va. — A four-vehicle crash during rush-hour on Interstate 95 Thursday afternoon has left three people dead, according to police.
The incident happened just shortly after 4:33 p.m. Thursday when a Virginia State Police (VSP) said a trooper attempted to initiate a traffic stop on a 2008 Dodge Avenger traveling north on I-95. Police say the driver of the Dodge Avenger was traveling at 80 mph in a 60 mph zone near the 127-mile-marker in Spotsylvania County.
A VSP trooper attempted to stop the driver of the Dodge Avenger, but police said the driver refused to stop, resulting in a pursuit. Within two minutes, the trooper stopped the pursuit due to heavy northbound traffic on I-95, police said in a release.
Police said the driver of the Dodge sped away headed north using the left shoulder. Further north down I-95, police said they positioned themselves for the driver but due to lighter traffic, authorities re-initiated the pursuit of the speeding Dodge as it continued north on I-95.
Later, police said the Dodge exited I-95 for the Express Lanes but then broke through three of the lighted Express Lanes gates at the entry as it headed north into the lanes that were switched for southbound traffic only.
Once in the Express Lane, VSP said the Dodge hit a southbound Ford Ranger pickup truck, which caused the Ford to go over the guardrail. Two other cars, a 2016 Hyundai Tucson and a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas, crashed into the Dodge, resulting in the Dodge Avenger catching on fire.
The driver of the Dodge, identified as 46-year-old Stephanie T. Morton, of Richmond, Va., died at the scene, police said. The passenger in the Dodge, identified as 26-year-old Tia O. Porter, of Richmond, Va., was ejected from the vehicle and also died at the scene. Police said it is unknown if Morton was wearing a seatbelt, but they do know Porter was not wearing a seatbelt.
The driver of the Ford Ranger pick-up truck, 61-year-old Kenneth E. Crosby Jr., of Dumfries, Va., died at the scene of the crash. Crosby was wearing a seatbelt.
The driver of the Hyundai, a 23-year-old female from Seneca, S.C., the driver of the Volkswagen, a 37-year-old male from Stafford, Va., and two juvenile passengers were treated at the scene for minor injuries.
The crash, which blocked the southbound express lanes and the left side of the mainline on I-95 near Dale City, resulted in multiple delays and stopped traffic for hours heading south.
VSP is continuing to investigate this incident.