VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — One person was injured in a nine-vehicle crash on Interstate 64 eastbound at Indian River Road in Virginia Beach Wednesday evening, Virginia State Police said.
The crash happened around 8:35 p.m. when an unknown driver's vehicle became disabled in the traffic lane, State Police said. The disabled vehicle was topped in the traffic lane, which caused vehicles to stop abruptly and crashing into one another. The unknown disabled vehicle that had been stopped left the scene.
One person was taken to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Eight people were injured as the result of a nine-vehicle crash at the intersection of Princess Anne Road and Lynnhaven Parkway Wednesday afternoon, officials said.
Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital received eight patients from the crash, with four listed as trauma patients. Sentara, in a statement, said care is ongoing and "most are expected to be treated and released from the emergency department."
Princess Anne Rd multi-vehicle crash (WAVY photo)
The multi-vehicle crash, which happened just before 12:30 p.m. at the intersection of Princess Anne Road and Lynnhaven Parkway, caused parts of Princess Anne Road to close Wednesday afternoon, with a 10 On Your Side crew at the scene reporting nine cars to be involved, with eight taken to the hospital.
According to officials, all lanes of Princess Anne Road from Salem Road to South Independence Boulevard were closed due to the crash. Ferrell Parkway from Pleasant Valley Road to Salem Road was also shut down.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — On the hill near the pond where Juan Sebastian Mejia Acevedo lost his life, friends and strangers alike came to say goodbye.
It began Monday night after the grim discovery that left everyone broken-hearted.
On Wednesday, the Virginia Beach Medical Examiner confirmed that the manner of death was a drowning. The Virginia Beach community says they just want to support the family during this tragic time.
"We were heartbroken," said Courtney Rivera, who organized the growing vigil. "There are no words. I was left speechless. You are waiting for an update, and you finally get it, and it makes me cry."
Neighbors are shaken after a weekend of searching for the missing 12-year-old came to a sad end at a pond Monday afternoon.
"That's a terrible, terrible tragedy," said nearby resident Anna Moore.
Acevedo's body was recovered from a retention pond not far from his home. Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neudigate said it's a possibility that Acevedo went through the ice.
"I grew up in a really cold area and you just stay away from the ice," Moore said.
Virginia Beach Police said they are investigating the authenticity of the ransom request which led to the Amber Alert, and the eventual searching of the pond.
Jennifer Campbell of Williamsburg said that "it is pretty raw. We are still processing it, but our hope is in Christ."
Other residents are deeply saddened — one man said police knocked on his door for a better vantage point of the pond.
Neudigate said the ice was about three inches thick, but again, details on how Acevedo ended up in the water are unclear. Nearby neighbors Rivera and Jason Lopez said their doorbell camera caught footage of Acevedo Friday, which is when he was last seen. They've since turned that over to police.
"Just being a kid hanging out with his friends, playing outside," Rivera said. "Throwing snowballs at each other, just having fun, and I'm grateful that I even have that footage to share with the parents."
"We just wanna be here to dedicate this to Juan his family, and just pay our respects," Jason Lopez said.
They hope the memorial and comfort for the family continues to grow as this investigation continues.
"Either the family, or someone on behalf of the family, paid ($500) with no additional communication," Neudigate said. "We would be derelict not to continue to investigate that until we know otherwise."
Acevedo was a seventh-grade student at Larkspur Middle School, where grief counselors were Tuesday. The school sent this letter home to families:
"It is with profound sadness that I share the heartbreaking news of the loss of one of our students. This tragedy deeply impacts our entire school community, and our hearts and deepest sympathies go out to the family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.
We understand this loss may bring up many emotions for our students, staff, and families. For many students, this may be their first experience with the loss of a classmate. While immediate family is often the greatest source of comfort, please know that Larkspur Middle School is here to support our students as well. We will have additional counseling resources available to anyone who needs them. If your child would like to speak with someone, please encourage them to connect with our counselors, who are ready to provide support.
As we process this loss together, I encourage us all to lean on one another, offering kindness, compassion, and understanding during this difficult time.
If you have any concerns about your child or need additional resources for your family, please do not hesitate to reach out to me or our counseling team."
Shadiyah Harris, who lives near the pond and has a 4-year-old, said she took this as an opportunity to point out the dangers of water.
"During the snow day, we were in that area, and I held him by his hood," she said, "and we cautioned him to step out too far because he could slip into the water, and we didn't know how deep it was."
There was ice on the pond, but as you got away from shore, it got thinner, then really thin.
On Monday, Alissa Hendra from the Peninsula was putting up flyers for Juan. She knows about loss, as her daughter was murdered.
"Healing is a moment-by-moment process," Hendry said, "and it does not ever really go away. It just gets a little easier to take — steps day-by-day, and my heart really goes out to them.
Jairo Alvarez was there Tuesday with Larkspur Middle School teacher Melissa Moore. Jairo wrote this about his friend, which is now posted on the tree at the vigil.
"I will always remember you as a good friend from school and forever treasure our school and play time together," Jairo wrote. "Rest in Peace my Dear Friend."
"He was such a very good friend," Jairo said. "Nice, kind and very playful."
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