Four killed in crash in Culpeper County

CULPEPER -- Four people died after a head-on collision early yesterday between a sport utility vehicle and a sedan on state Route 3 near Stevensburg in Culpeper County.

Virginia State Police spokesman Sgt. Les Tyler said the accident was reported around 2:50 a.m. The victims were identified as Tyler Scott Harlow, 20, and Joseph Lee Sahnow, 20, both of Ruckersville; Tianna V. Jones, 19, of Stanardsville, and James B. Cook, 21, of Marshfield, Vt.

Tyler said all four died at the scene about a tenth of a mile east of state Route 739. Harlow, the sedan driver, and Jones were wearing seat belts; the two other victims were not, state police said.

A fifth passenger in the Toyota, 27-year-old Howard John Steiniger of Fredericksburg, was taken to Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg before being transferred to a Richmond-area hospital. His condition was not available yesterday evening.

According to Tyler, 29-year-old Eugene T. Green of Culpeper was driving his SUV the wrong way, headed westbound in the eastbound lane of the two-lane stretch of highway, when the vehicles collided.

Green, who Tyler said was not wearing a seat belt, also was taken to Mary Washington Hospital. Green's condition was also not available yesterday evening.

The accident prompted authorities to close the highway and detour traffic for about six hours while they cleared the scene and investigated the incident.

State police said the crash brought the number of highway deaths in Virginia to 130; last year as of March 22, the number was 187.

Nate Delesline III is a staff writer at the Culpeper Star-Exponent.

Staff writer Bill McKelway contributed to this report.