CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. — Friday night had just turned into Saturday morning when the Barker family knew something was wrong behind their Brandermill home. A memorial of flowers now sits where sources say a fatal crash claimed the life of a teenager.
“My daughter actually came downstairs and said, ‘Mom, I heard a boom, and I don’t think it was thunder. I think it was an accident,'" said Michelle Barker.
Officers were called the crash on Brandermill Parkway near the intersection of Barnes Spring Road just before 12:15 a.m., according to Lt. Nate Ballentine with Chesterfield Police.
Police said a Chevrolet Impala was headed north when it ran off the road and hit a tree.
"A passenger was pronounced deceased on scene," Ballentine wrote. "The remaining occupants were transported to area hospitals with serious injuries that are not considered life-threatening."
Local News
Sources: Student killed, 3 other teens seriously injured in Chesterfield wreck
All four young people in the vehicle were teenagers, Crime Insider sources told Jon Burkett.
“Just really hard to see a young life ended like that. Just really tragic," Barker said.
Neighbors who responded to the scene before emergency crews arrived waited as first responders did their work in order to help console the others in the vehicle, Barker said.
"We’re such a tight-knit community. I hope that they know there were people willing to get involved," she said. "Everybody just wanted to know what they could do to help.”
The young person who lost their life was a student at Midlothian High School, sources told Burkett. A crowd funding page posted online that identifies him, but CBS 6 has not confirmed this detail with officials or family members.
The school remains closed over winter break, but grief counselors will undoubtedly be on hand when students return.
As the memorial grows behind her family's home, Barker said she saw two teenage boys kneeling in front it Sunday morning. It's an example, she said, of how she hopes the community handles the hard days ahead.
"They were just praying and comforting each other. It was, you know, heartbreaking. Just glad that they’re supporting each other," she said.
Police said their investigation into the crash is ongoing.
Anyone with information about the wreck is asked to call Chesterfield County Police at 804-748-1251 or Crime Solvers at 804-748-0660 or through the P3 app.
