New information on Stafford teen fatal crash trickles out

STAFFORD — More information about a fatal crash in Stafford County involving two high school students tricked out from non-law enforcement sources this week.

Stafford County Garrisonville District Supervisor Mark Dudenhefer says two teenagers were traveling on Poplar Road. The female driver hadn’t had her license for a full year, he said. A second occupant of the car, a male, died.

Both were Moutain View High School students, were told.

The Stafford County Sheriff’s Office has yet to release information on the crash, other than to say the crash involved “two juveniles,” and that it occurred at 7:11 a.m. on March 29 in the 1900 block of Poplar Road. The rest, says sheriff’s spokeswoman Amanda Vicinazo, is “under investigation.”

Dudenhefer said the female driver of the car has been released from the hospital and is in good condition physically, but that she will have to live with her decisions to text and drive for the rest of her life.

The Supervisor lost his daughter Emily in a 2004 crash on a similar two-lane road in Stafford County, and it was the impetus for his first run for the Garrisonville seat the following year. Since then, he’s been focused on improving county roads.

“If you have an accident and leave this world you’ll leave behind parents and you’ll shatter their lives along with many other negative things that happen,” said Dudenhefer, addressing any teenagers that might have been watching the April 3 Board of Supervisors meeting.

He encouraged the community to reach out the parents during their time of grief.

“It’s tragic to lose a child like that, and my heart goes out to the parents. They have a long recovery ahead, and it will be hard for them. They’re hurting very badly now,” he added.

Rock Hill District Supervisor Wendy Maurer said her young daughter knows the driver of the car and said the “young lady is doing well physically.”

“Having a teenager [driving] on these roads is hard,” said Maurer.

Just days before the fatal crash, Stafford leaders approved a new working group to examine the safety of county roads. It follows 2004’s Youth Driver Taskforce that was formed after Emily Dudenehfer’s death to identify dangerous roads in the county, and potential fixes.

Four years later, voters approved a $70 million road bond and the movies were used to widen the lane widths of Mountain View, Brooke, Truslow, and Poplar roads, all which have road designs that date back to the early 20th century.