The company has been in business for 40 years, says owner Grant Cosner, and this is the first fatal accident.
PHOTO BY COURTENEY STUART
The driver of a Charlottesville Wrecker tow truck may soon face felony charges for his role in a recent accident that killed a young Culpeper couple and left a third man lingering in a coma six weeks later, his family unsure whether he'll ever awaken.
The accident happened Saturday, September 1, a day that should have marked the first page in a happy chapter for 19-year-old Victoria "Tori" Burke and her husband, 22-year-old Joshua Burke. The young couple-- parents of a newborn daughter-- had just signed a lease on a new apartment in Culpeper and had borrowed a pick-up truck from Joshua's father to begin moving in. A friend had offered to help them that Labor Day weekend, and the three were en route together to pick up the Burkes' belongings.
The day that started with the promise of a new home ended that afternoon in tragedy. As Joshua Burke turned from Alanthus Road onto Route 29 in the Brandy Station area at approximately 2pm, the pick-up was struck by a tow truck traveling north on 29 and pulling a small box truck. According to state trooper Jennifer "J.K." Hathaway, 54-year-old Charlottesville Wrecker driver Alvin Randall Thompson ran the red light and struck the Burkes' pickup.
Tori and Josh Burke were killed instantly inside the truck. Their friend, 22-year-old Culpeper resident John Lizotte, was thrown from the vehicle into the median and remains hospitalized at Fairfax Inova Hospital in a coma. None of the three was wearing a seatbelt.
Thompson, who was wearing a seatbelt, was uninjured. While he was originally charged with failure to obey a traffic signal, that misdemeanor infraction was dropped soon after-- but his legal troubles may be just beginning.
"We're going to go forward with a more serious charge," says Hathaway, who says that Culpeper Commonwealth's Attorney is determining what charges to levy.
Hathaway estimates Thompson was traveling approximately 55mph when he went through the light-- 5mph below the posted limit of 60mph, but 10mph above the recommended 45mph limit at the intersection, where Route 29 has four lanes in addition to two turn lanes.
Hathaway says Thompson, who lives in Crozet, was not intoxicated, and he was "very upset" at the scene. A phone listing for A.R. Thompson rang without answer, and he could not be located for comment.
Charlottesville Wrecker owner Grant Cosner says Thompson has been a reliable driver for the company for approximately 10 years, has a Class A commercial license, and has not had other driving infractions. Currently Thompson is not driving for the company.
"He is beyond distraught," says Cosner, who believes that once all evidence is reviewed, Thompson will be acquitted of wrongdoing.
"We don't believe he ran that red light," says Cosner, though he declines to discuss details of the case or evidence that exonerates Thompson.
Although no civil suits have yet been filed, the families of the victims have retained counsel and are considering civil action against Thompson and Charlottesville Wrecker.
Culpeper attorney Edwin Gentry, representing the family of Joshua Burke, says Joshua was determined to support his new family. Working as an electrician at the same company his father worked, he had nearly completed the 400 hours of training to become a electrician "journeyman," a designation that allows state licensure.
Tori Burke's parents, Sandy and Kim Gouldman of King George, did not return the Hook's call for comment. According to Gentry, the couple's now four-month-old baby girl is in the care of relatives.
Recent months have witnessed several accidents involving locally based trucks and cars:
• on June 6, a driver was maimed when when two tires came hurtling toward him from a southbound Lethal Wrecker tow truck on Interstate 85 in North Carolina,
• on June 21, William Donald Sprouse of Scottsville lost control of a cement truck on Route 53 and was eventually charged with reckless driving and the involuntary manslaughter of Jessica Lester,
• on August 30, Afton resident Laura Cavedo and her two daughters died when truck driver Shawn Lloyd of Ruckersville allegedly fell asleep and rear-ended their car.
In the Brandy Station accident, Lizotte suffered a severe head injury and has been in a coma since the accident. Reached in her son's Fairfax hospital room, Lizotte's mother, Janet Smoot, declined to comment. Her attorney, Fredericksburg based Edward Allen, says doctors don't know if Lizotte, who worked in landscaping and enjoyed a close relationship with his family, will awaken or if he will even survive.
Culpeper Commonwealth's Attorney Gary Close says charges have not yet been filed because the matter is still under investigation.
[An editing error caused the relationship between accident victim Laura Cavedo and her daughters to be incorrectly stated; it has been corrected in this online edition--editor.]
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