Sunday, August 8, 2010

Two Sheriff's Deputies Remain Hospitalized; Circumstances of Crash Remain Under Investigation

Two Loudoun County Sheriff's Deputies from the agency's Motorcycle Unit remain hospitalized after a vehicle turned in front of them.

Shortly before noon yesterday, Saturday, August 7, four Sheriff's Office motorcycle units were returning from completing a motorcycle escort for a motorcycle charity poker run. The four motor units were southbound on Rt. 671 riding in pairs, two in the front, and two in the back, as permitted by law.

As they approached the area near the intersection with Butts Lane, a flagger working for Butts Tubes, Inc. was on the west shoulder waving in traffic to the tubing business parking lot. The flagger was not wearing a safety vest and was flagging with a boat oar. A 1998 Ford Escort, driven by Sarah C. Webb, 27, of Arlington, on the northbound side made a left turn in front of the motorcycle group.

Two of the Sheriff's Office motor units were able to maneuver to avoid a collision. The lead motor, a 2008 Harley Davidson police motorcycle, on the shoulder side, driven by Deputy First Class Brian Kleptach, made contact with the car and Kleptach was ejected from his motorcycle. The motor following Kleptach, a 2004 Harley Davidson police motorcycle, driven by Senior Deputy Tom P. Alpy, attempted to steer to avoid the car, tumbled over in the roadway. Alpy was also ejected from his motorcycle as it tumbled to a stop.

Both Kleptach and Alpy were wearing proper eye protection and approved safety helmets. Both were airlifted to INOVA Fairfax Hospital where they remain in stable condition.

Webb and two of her passengers were treated at the scene. All were belted and the airbags did not deploy.

Members of the Sheriff's Traffic Safety Unit Crash Investigation Team spoke with several witnesses at the scene and spent several hours documenting the scene as the roadway remained closed for approximately three hours.

The crash remains under investigation and is pending review of the facts by the Office of the Loudoun Commonwealth's Attorney.

  For the latest Loudoun County traffic news and information, subscribe to Loudoun County Traffic via your favorite RSS reader, or get Loudoun County Traffic by e-mail.

No comments:

Post a Comment