Woman dies after two-vehicle crash on Route 123 in Lorton

(Updated at 3 p.m.) A 76-year-old woman from Alexandria has died following a two-car crash on the Ox Road stretch of Route 123 in Lorton.

On Wednesday evening (Nov. 2), Rachelle Bernice Feth was turning left onto southbound Ox Road from Blu Steel Way when a 2008 Volkswagen Golf going north on Ox Road collided with her 2013 Toyota Camry, the Fairfax County Police Department said yesterday.

(Correction: Police initially identified the victim in the crash as Ruth Feth, but family members shared her correct name. The police news release has also been updated.)

Feth sustained critical injuries and was transported to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

“Rachelle was an amazing woman who was just trying to return home from church,” an anonymous tipster told FFXnow.

The FCPD says its Crash Reconstruction Unit detectives don’t believe alcohol was a factor, but an investigation into the crash, including whether speed was an issue, is still ongoing.

Blu Steel Way is a residential cul-de-sac that intersects with Ox Road next to New Hope Church, turning into a service road for Dominion Power on the south side of Route 123.

At that intersection, Ox Road has two travel lanes in each direction, along with two designated turn lanes on the northbound side, a left turn lane on the southbound side and a grass median. Blu Steel Way has a stop sign but no signal.

The speed limit on Ox Road is 55 mph, per the Virginia Department of Transportation.

According to state crash data, there have been 92 crashes on Ox Road this year, including one previous fatality in February and five that resulted in serious injuries. This week’s crash doesn’t appear to have been reported to the database yet.

Specifically at the Blu Steel Way intersection, one crash has been reported in each year from 2019 to 2021, though no fatalities or serious injuries are listed.

Feth is the 15th non-pedestrian to die in a vehicle crash on county roads this year, surpassing the 14 such fatalities recorded by this point in 2021.

The FCPD has reported 17 pedestrian fatalities this year, most recently from an Oct. 26 hit-and-run on Leesburg Pike in Bailey’s Crossroads. In comparison, there were 11 fatal crashes involving pedestrians by late October 2021, 12 in 2020, and 14 in 2019, according to data provided by the police department.

Police said anyone with information about Wednesday’s crash can contact detectives at 703-280-0543. Tips can also be sent anonymously through Crime Solvers by phone (1-866-411-TIPS) and online.

“Anonymous tipsters are eligible for cash rewards of $100 to $1,000 dollars,” the FCPD said. “Please leave contact information if you wish for a detective to follow up with you.”

Image via Google Maps