Authorities in Loudoun County, Virginia, on Wednesday filed misdemeanor charges against the driver of a public schools maintenance vehicle involved in a fatal collision with a student pedestrian near Stone Bridge High School in Ashburn.
Dale Whitney Taylor, 58, of Leesburg, Virginia, is accused of failing to yield to a pedestrian, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office said.
Victim Calina Yu was on her way to Stone Bridge High School on the morning of Jan. 13, walking at the intersection of Claiborne Parkway and Portsmouth Boulevard, when she was hit. She was pronounced dead at the scene by first responders.
Detectives determined that Yu had a walk signal at the intersection and that Mr. Taylor, who had a green light, turned left and hit her, according to an affidavit cited by the Loudoun Times-Mirror.
Yu, 20, was a special needs student at the school and a returning graduate at the time of her death, her art teacher, who did not provide her name, told Washington’s WTTG.
Mr. Taylor stayed at the scene of the collision to speak to law enforcement. If he’s found guilty of failing to yield to a pedestrian, a Class 1 misdemeanor in Virginia because it caused a death, he could face up to a year in prison and a fine of up to $2,500.
After he was charged, Mr. Taylor was released on a summons, the sheriff’s office said.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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