LANCASTER COUNTY, Va. β Troopers have arrested and charged a 30-year-old man from the Northern Neck for the head-on wreck that killed two people on the Robert O. Norris Jr. Bridge in July.
Jesse David Foster, of Lancaster, was charged after a "lengthy investigation" with two counts of felony aggravated DUI manslaughter, felony reckless driving resulting in death while driving with a suspended license and a misdemeanor charge for DUI, a second offense within 5 years, according to Sgt. Jessica B. Shehan with Virginia State Police.
Troopers were called to a crash on the bridge that connects the Northern Neck to the Middle Peninsula over the Rappahannock River on Sunday, July 13, just after 6:50 p.m.
Foster was driving a Mercedes-Benz westbound on the bridge at a "high rate of speed" when he tried to pass another car in the eastbound lane, according to troopers.
RELATED: Passing no longer allowed on 68-year-old Norris Bridge
That is when Foster sideswiped a Subaru Outback before crashing into a Ford Fusion head-on.
Forty-two-year-old Crystal Michelle Lyles, who was Fosterβs passenger, was ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene.
The driver of the Ford Fusion, 53-year-old Ernesto Santiago, of Hampton, was also killed.
The 27-year-old driver of the Subaru Outback was not injured, troopers said.
Foster survived and was flown to the hospital for treatment. He was taken into custody on Friday and is being held without bond at the Lancaster County Correctional Center, according to officials.
He is scheduled to appear in court on Friday, Sept. 26.
Investigators previously said speed and alcohol were "major contributing factors" in the crash.
Shehan said the investigation into the case remains ongoing.
Local News
Passing no longer allowed on 68-year-old Norris Bridge
The Norris Bridge was damaged in the crash, and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) closed the eastbound lane of the bridge for emergency inspections.
Then in late August, passing became prohibited on the aging span after years of safety concerns and recent fatal accidents on the structure.
VDOT officials reviewed the deadly head-on crash on July 13, as well as another wreck on Aug. 1 that left two people injured.
"Although there are no indications that either crash is related to the passing zone, the decision to remove the zone was made out of an abundance of caution," a VDOT spokesperson said at the time.
The Norris Bridge, which is in the picturesque Northern Neck, is roughly 65 miles and a 1-hour 10-minute drive from Richmond.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
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