65-year-old woman dead, three others injured after head-on crash in Chesterfield County

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — A woman is dead and three other people are seriously injured after a crash in Chesterfield County.

According to the Chesterfield County Police Department, the crash happened on Buford Road around 7:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 14. Two vehicles were heading in opposite directions when they hit each other head-on.

“I heard a loud, almost like a boom, like it sounded like a tree had fallen down,” said Betsy Ellis, who lives on the street where the crash took place.

The two cars involved in the crash ended up in Ellis’ front yard.

“I had my mom grab my medical bag and we took it out there,” she said. “Basically, because there was a doctor on scene and a couple nurses, I was just handing out gloves. And I did check on the one driver of one of the cars. And just, I saw she was breathing, didn’t want to move her, and just, you know, told her, reassured her that help was on the way.”

First responders got to the scene and took the four victims, all of whom had serious injuries, to a local hospital. 65-year-old Mary Ellen Whitfield of Powhatan County died as a result of her injuries. Police say the three other patients are still recovering at the hospital.

“When these kind of things happen, I think you just can’t get that scene out of your mind,” Ellis said.

Sgt. Kyle Easton, the Chesterfield Police Crash Team Supervisor, told 8News there were three people in one vehicle and one person in the other. He said that he couldn’t release many details at this point while they continue to investigate, but shared a safety message for drivers.

“We just want people to follow the speed limit, wear their seat belt and if they’re consuming alcohol or any other kind of drug that would impact their driving ability to designate a driver,” Sgt. Easton said.

While the factors that played a role in the crash are still under investigation, a neighbor who saw the aftermath told 8News speeding is a concern they’d like to see addressed on Buford Road.

“Buford [Road] is very tricky, and people speed on it every day,” said the neighbor. “I’ve seen accidents on Buford Road, but nowhere near like this.”

When asked about future safety improvements on Buford Road, a spokesperson with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) sent 8News the following statement:

“The safety of all motorists and pedestrians is one of VDOT’s top priorities. VDOT and Chesterfield County have identified the need for safety improvements along the Buford Road corridor. VDOT is currently evaluating installation of a single lane roundabout at the intersection of Buford Road and Rockaway Road.”

Ellis also shared a message to all who were impacted by the crash.

“I just really want the family to know that we did everything possible for all four of those victims, and rest assured that they were reassured and taken care of on the scene even before the paramedics got here,” she said.

Anyone with any information about the crash is asked to contact Chesterfield Police at 804-748-1251.

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