CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. – The driver of an SUV that slammed into the back of two Virginia State Police cruisers as troopers were assisting a motorist on the side of I-95 in Chesterfield over the weekend is facing a litany of charges in connection with the wreck. The crash happened Saturday on I-95 south near the Woods Edge exit around 5:40 p.m.
Police said the driver of the red Ford SUV, 28-year-old David Robinson of Richmond, was charged with reckless driving, drive while suspended (8th Offense), fail to move over, fail to wear a seatbelt and two charges of no child restraint. Robinson, who who not wearing a seat belt, was driving with three children, ages 4, 8, and 9, police said. Robinson and the children were all taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
"The Sergeant's investigation revealed that two State Police cars were stopped on the left shoulder with their emergency equipment activated assisting a disabled motorist when a 2008 Ford Escape ran off the road onto the left shoulder striking the barrier wall then striking both State Police vehicles," said Sgt. Stephan M. Vick, Virginia State Police spokesman. "The Ford came to rest on the barrier wall."
Two state troopers were helping a stranded motorist Saturday when their instincts and quick thinking were suddenly put to the test. One of the troopers spotted the SUV veering towards them as they were aiding a motorist with a flat tire, police said. The troopers jumped over the barrier wall, one of them instinctively grabbing the bystander with them, seconds before the SUV plowed into the barrier wall and then into the cruisers. Vick urged motorists “to please move-over and give emergency personnel the space they need, it’s the law.”
Traffic was backed up for several miles for nearly four hours after the accident.
