Three more people died in vehicle crashes on Fairfax County roads over Veterans Day weekend.
A single-vehicle crash in Reston early Sunday (Nov. 10) morning resulted in the deaths of the driver and a passenger, and later that day, the Fairfax County Police Department announced that a woman injured in a separate crash in Oakton on Saturday (Nov. 9) had died.
The Reston crash occurred around 4:09 a.m. on North Shore Drive at Charter Oak Court. The road closed between Charter Oak Court and Sycamore Valley Drive while detectives investigated, the FCPD said on Twitter at 6:26 a.m. that day.
The driver — identified as Shawn Ballard, 35, of Herndon — and a passenger, 48-year-old Reston resident Nicole Hamm, were both taken to a hospital. Ballard died, and Hamm suffered injuries considered life-threatening.
In an update published today (Tuesday), the FCPD says its detectives were notified Sunday evening that Hamm had died from her injuries.
Officers are on scene of a single vehicle crash at North Shore Dr & Charter Oak Ct in Reston. The driver, an adult male, was transported to a local hospital & pronounced deceased. An adult female passenger was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/Tsp3NiDjlK
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) November 10, 2024
A preliminary investigation indicates that Ballard was driving the 2016 Ford Explorer at an excessive speed when it “left the roadway and struck a tree,” police say.
“Detectives are continuing to investigate to determine if alcohol was a factor in the crash,” the FCPD said in the press release.
Woman injured in Oakton crash dies
For the Oakton crash, officers were dispatched to the intersection of Hunter Mill Road and Lynnhaven Place at 11:20 a.m. on Saturday (Nov. 9) after a 2024 Toyota Camry driver headed north on Hunter Mill collided with the driver of a 2001 Acura coupe who was turning left out of Oakton Shopping Center, according to the FCPD.
Brenda Cratty, 77, of Vienna, a passenger in the Acura, was transported to a hospital, where she died. The coupe’s driver was also taken to the hospital with injuries described by police as non-life-threatening.
No injuries were reported to the Toyota driver and passenger.
“Preliminarily, speed and alcohol do not appear to be factors,” the FCPD said.
Cratty is the second person to be killed in a crash at the Hunter Mill Road and Lynnhaven Place intersection this fall. Choon Kook, an 80-year-old woman from Vienna, died on Sept. 21 after she was struck in the crosswalk by the driver of Ford F-150 as he was turning into the shopping center.
The FCPD announced Sunday that the Ford driver — identified as Walter Bozarth, 72, of Maryland — has now been charged with failure to yield to a pedestrian, noting that the crossing doesn’t have a pedestrian signal.
“He was served a summons and released,” police said.
Through October, there had been 39 traffic-related fatalities in Fairfax County this year, according to data from the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. However, the database doesn’t appear to have been updated yet to include a fatal Oct. 30 motorcycle crash on Old Keene Mill Road or the three deaths from this weekend.
A total of 42 people were killed in crashes in Fairfax County last year.
Image via Google Maps
