Palmyra man dies in Louisa crash at interstate exit ramp

A Palmyra man died Sunday in a two-vehicle crash on the Interstate 64 exit ramp at U.S. 15 in Louisa County, state police said yesterday.

Daniel S. Parks, 48, died at 5:45 p.m. at the University of Virginia Medical Center, more than two hours after the 3:27 p.m. crash.

Police said Parks had exited I-64 and was attempting to turn left onto U.S. 15 (James Madison Highway) when he pulled into the path of a sport utility vehicle about two-tenths of a mile north of U.S. 250. Parks was wearing a safety belt, police said.

In another crash, Dennis W. Richardson, 45, of Jarratt, was killed Sunday on state Route 610 when his car veered off to the left and struck a tree and utility pole before overturning about a quarter mile west of state Route 609 in Sussex County. He wasn't wearing a safety belt and died at the scene at 8:48 a.m., police said.

Also Sunday, a Culpeper man was fatally injured when he was struck by a sport utility vehicle while crossing U.S. 29 in the dark about a tenth of a mile north of state Route 718 in Culpeper County. Jose Gonzales-Linares, 67, died at 6:43 p.m. at Culpeper Regional Hospital, about 45 minutes after he was hit, police said.

There have been 773 deaths on Virginia highways this year, compared with 980 at this time last year, state police said.