19-year-old driver charged after deadly Albemarle crash
VENN
ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- A 19-year-old driver has been arrested and charged after a woman died in a deadly car crash in April.
At 3:21 p.m. on Wednesday, April 30, Albemarle County Police Department and Albemarle County Fire Rescue were called to Irish Road and Chestnut Grove Road in Esmont for a reported single-vehicle crash.
When first responders arrived, they found a car had hit a tree.
One person was taken to UVA Medical Center with serious but non-life-threatening injuries for treatment and one passenger -- identified as 19-year-old Ava G. Bright of North Garden -- was pronounced dead at the scene.
On Wednesday, July 16, the county's Police Department's Traffic Unit charged the driver, a 19-year-old woman, with the following:
- Involuntary manslaughter as a result of driving under the influence of an intoxicant
- Manufacture, sell or possess a fictitious license or identification
- Driving without a license
- Failure to use a seat belt
Bright and the driver were not wearing seat belts when they crashed.
"The Albemarle County Police Department is committed to keeping our roads safe and takes impaired driving seriously," a release from the Albemarle Police reads. "Driving under the influence is never acceptable. We’re asking all drivers to make safe choices: buckle up, slow down, and never drive impaired."
Thomas is being held at the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail without bond.
