HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — A Virginia woman was killed, and several people were sent to the hospital Sunday after a “chain reaction-style crash” on Interstate 95 near Parham Road involving seven cars, police said.
State police troopers found seven vehicles on I-95 north near the Parham Road exit in Henrico County involved in multiple crashes just before 3 a.m. on Oct. 30, police said Monday.
According to state police, the “chain reaction-style crash” began when a Jeep ran off the road and hit a guardrail before spinning back onto the interstate.
Trying to avoid the Jeep, a Toyota and Kia rear-ended one another, police said Monday. After crashing, police said all three drivers got out of their cars and stood in the roadway.
A Ford then hit the Jeep and Kia to avoid the crash. The fourth crash happened when a Honda struck the Ford “in a T-bone style crash,” forcing a Hyundai into the back of the jeep and hitting the driver of the Hyundai.
The driver of the Hyundai who was struck, identified as Claire Elizabeth Wenzel, died instantly, according to police. Wenzel, of Montpelier, Virginia, was 26.
Wenzel was acting as a designated driver before the crash, according to her mother Donna Wenzel.
“I just want the world to know they lost the most wonderful and amazing daughter, sister and friend anyone could ever have,” D. Wenzel told 8News. “She was so full of life and love. She lived her life to the fullest and loved being with people more than anything.”
The fifth and final crash took place when a Mazda hit the Honda. Seven people were sent to the hospital “with varying degrees of injury,” police said.
An investigation with the help of the Virginia State Police Richmond Division Crash Reconstruction Team is underway.