Powhatan man killed in crash while en route to hospital

Midlothian Turnpike crash is fatal to Powhatan man

A Powhatan County man being driven to CJW Medical Cen ter (Johnston-Willis) for medical treatment died yesterday after a two-vehicle crash on Midlothian Turnpike near the hospital's entrance.

Danny H. Gentry, 52, died after being taken to the hospital, Chesterfield County police said.

The wreck occurred about 8:25 a.m. when a sport utility vehicle traveling west on Midlothian Turnpike collided with another SUV traveling east that attempted a left turn onto Johnston-Willis Drive, police said.

Gentry, a passenger in the eastbound SUV, was suffering from a medical condition, possibly heart-related, at the time of the wreck, Chesterfield police crash team supervisor Sgt. Kenneth James said. The other vehicle struck the front-passenger door where Gentry was sitting, James said.

The female drivers of both vehicles, who were not identified, were taken to area hospitals with minor injuries. The crash remains under investigation.

In another crash yesterday, Timothy A. Lillard, 23, of Martinsville died about 4 a.m. at Memorial Hospital of Martinsville after a wreck about an hour earlier, state police said.

Police said Lillard was traveling on state Route 650 when his car ran off the road and struck a fence and a pole before overturning, ejecting him. He wasn't wearing a seat belt, police said.

The deaths brought the number of highway fatalities in Virginia this year to 115, compared with 170 last year at this time.