Three dead in Nelson County crashes

NELSON COUNTY — Three people were killed over the weekend in separate crashes in Nelson County, Virginia State Police said.

On Saturday night, two women were killed in a crash with a 2024 Freightliner Cascadia on U.S. 29 at the intersection of Irish Road in Nelson County, police said.

The Freightliner was heading north when it struck a 2011 Chevrolet Aveo that entered the intersection, according to police.

The driver of the Aveo, Samantha L. Lively, 22, of Barboursville, died at the scene. A passenger, Heather E. Lively, 19, of Covesville, was taken to UVA Health in Charlottesville, where she too died from her injuries.

The driver of the Freightliner was not injured.

On Sunday night, one person died in a crash on U.S. 29 near the intersection of Tye Brook Highway. Police said a 2001 GMC Sierra was heading south when it was unable to avoid hitting a 2019 Dodge Ram 1500, which had entered the intersection.

The Dodge struck two road signs and came to a rest in the median, where it caught fire.

The driver, Avis W. Armentrout Jr., 75, of Roseland, died at the scene. A passenger, Martha J. Armentrout, 74, suffered serious injuries. She was taken to an area hospital. Neither of the Armentrouts were wearing a seat belt, police said.

The driver of the GMC, a 16-year-old girl from Nelson County, suffered serious injuries and was also hospitalized.

Both fatal crashes remain under investigation.

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Brad Zinn is the cops, courts and breaking news reporter at The News Leader. Have a news tip? Or something that needs investigating? You can email reporter Brad Zinn (he/him) at bzinn@newsleader.com. You can also follow him on X (formerly Twitter).

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Three dead in Nelson County crashes