A 49-year-old Mechanicsville woman died Tuesday when her car that was stopped on the shoulder of Interstate 95 near the Lewistown Road exit was hit by a sport utility vehicle.
Virginia State Police said in a statement the driver of a 2015 GMC Terrain SUV, Levi E. Braxton III, 70, of Saluda, was traveling northbound “at a high rate of speed” and drove onto the right shoulder to pass another motorist. He hit a 2007 Nissan Sentra that had become disabled on the shoulder, police said.
The woman, who was inside the vehicle when it was struck, died at the scene. Police are working to notify her relatives.
Police responded to the scene at about 12:48 p.m. and shut down northbound lanes, creating a backup that was about 6 miles long at one point
Braxton was taken to VCU Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries. He will be charged with involuntary manslaughter and driving with a suspended license, police said after consultation with the Hanover Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office.
The crash remains under investigation.