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Second woman dies following Chickahominy River crash

Posted at 4:33 PM, Feb 05, 2014
and last updated 2014-02-06 16:14:15-05

UPDATE:  “A second occupant in a vehicle that crashed into water near White Oak Road and East Williamsburg Road on February 3, 2014, has died. Twenty-seven year old Jessica Gallmeyer of Sandston passed away today,” Henrico Police spokeswoman Lt. Linda Toney wrote in an email. “Ms. Gallmeyer is the sister of Ms. Amanda Irby, who passed away yesterday.”

No additional charges have been place at this time.

“Crash Team Officers are working with the Commonwealths Attorney’s Office to determine if additional charges will be brought as a result of these deaths,” police said.

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WTVR) – A teenage passenger riding in a car that crashed into the Chickahominy River in eastern Henrico County Monday night has died.

Police said 15-year-old Amanda Irby of Sandston was one of two women riding with 23-year-old Andrew Taylor Walters when he crashed his car into the water after trying to evade police.

He was speeding away from a traffic stop after police pulled him over for erratic driving on Williamsburg Rd. at Elko Rd.

Irby died Wednesday at VCU Medical Center from injuries sustained in the crash.

Her 26-year-old half-sister, Jessica Gallmeyer, was also inside the car. She died on Thursday.

A Facebook page was started for Jessica and Amanda.

Fire officials said both women were in cardiac arrest when they were pulled from the car, but that both resuscitated and regained a pulse on the way to the hospital.

“They were under water for a significant period of time...they were in cardiac arrest during that period of time,” Henrico Fire spokesperson Captain Daniel Rosenbaum said.

A Facebook page was set up to provide updates on the sisters.  It is called “Hope for Jessica and Amanda.

Rosenbaum expects the crew members who worked that night to undergo some critical incident stress debriefing.

“It can take a toll...you can have memories of some of the significant incidents you`ve been on,” Rosenbaum said.

Andrew Walters tried to evade police and crashed into the Chickahominy River

Melissa Hipolit also talked to Andrew Walter’s grandfather over the phone.

He told Melissa his grandson is on two types of medication, and as long as he takes it “he’s sweet as can be, but if he goes off of it, he’s a handful.”

Walter’s grandfather also said that the past couple of days have been “hell” for his family.

Police said Walters is not facing additional charges at this time, but that crash team investigators are working with the Commonwealths Attorney’s Office to decide if more charges will be brought as a result of Irby's death.

Walters, of the 7400 block of Ambrose Drive in Mechanicsville, was previously charged with 2nd Offense -- Driving while Operator’s License is Suspended, Felony Disregarding the Signal of a Law Enforcement Officer to Stop (Eluding) and Providing False Information to a Law Enforcement Officer.

Police said they found Walters about one mile from the crash scene.

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