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Culpeper County Collision Kills Four, Involved Alcohol

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that  a head-on collision probably caused by driving under the influence took the lives of four people in Culpeper County in Virginia. The accident, which involved an SUV and a sedan, took place on Route 3 near Route 739 outside of Stevensburg, VA, ten minutes before three in the morning on March 22.

The driver and the sole occupant of the SUV was reportedly driving on the wrong side of the two-way highway, causing the head-on crash at a curve in the road. The sedan contained five friends who had gone out for a nice of fun. Three out of six people involved in the accident had attended William Monroe High School in Greene County, Virginia.

Virginia State Police identified the victims as Tyler Scott Harlow, 20, and Joseph Lee Sahnow, 20, both of Ruckersville; Tianna V. Jones, 19, of Stanardsville, and James B. Cook, 21. All four victims died at the scene of the accident. Some were wearing seatbelts while others were not buckled up.

The only survivor in the sedan was 27-year-old Howard John Steiniger of Fredericksburg, VA, who was rushed to Mary Washington Hospital along with the driver of the SUV. Route 3 was closed until about 9 a.m. in the morning as investigators collected evidence and emergency crews cleaned up crash debris.

Members of the Culpeper County Sheriff's Office, the Brandy Station Volunteer Fire Department, the Culpeper Volunteer Fire Department, the Richardsville Rescue Squad and Culpeper Rescue Company 12 assisted at the scene. Steiniger and the SUV driver both remain in stable condition with serious injuries at the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center in Richmond.

The investigation is ongoing, and charges have not been made yet in the case. However, Virginia police authorities have confirmed that alcohol was a factor in the accident.

The two-lane curve of Route 3 is a common scene of car wrecks and has seen a number of deadly accidents in past years.

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