Man, 20, dies in Richmond crash

A Richmond man died Saturday night in a single-vehicle crash that Richmond police attribute to alcohol and speed.

Jeronimo Angel Mendez, 20, was declared dead at the scene Saturday shortly after 11 p.m. after his car left the 5500 block of Warwick Road and struck a sign. Mendez, who police said was wearing a seat belt, lived in the 200 block of Erich Road in South Richmond.

His death brings the number of traffic fatalities this year as of Saturday night to 597, compared with 675 a year ago.

Two fatalities occurred recently in Albemarle County. Destiny Green,13, of Edgewood, Md., died when the car she was riding in hit a tree Saturday at 10:38 a.m. on U.S. 29 near state Route 775 during a rain shower. She died at the scene.

A North Garden woman died Thursday on U.S. 29 near Plank Road, a few minutes after her car collided with another vehicle at 5:19 p.m. The victim, Kathryn O'Neil Russell, 53, was the driver and was not wearing a seat belt, police said.

On Friday, a Spotsylvania County man, Corey Blake Saunders, 24, died about 3 a.m. when his car left Gordon Road and struck a tree.

In Lee County, 28-year-old William Shadrick Wilder of Jonesville died when his car left U.S. 58 near Cox Road and hit a rocky wall Friday at 10:20 p.m. Police said he was not wearing a seat belt.

-- Bill McKelway