Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, February 4, 1995 TAG: 9502060051
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: KATHY LOAN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
Jan Bingham Shiflett, 35, was driving east on Roanoke Street. As she began to turn left onto Evans Street at about 12:45 a.m., the police car struck her car on the passenger's side, state police said.
Officer Bill Baker was driving west on Roanoke Street, with his emergency lights and sirens on, Chief Ron Lemons said. Baker was responding to a dispatcher's request that officers come to the Police Department because a man and woman involved in a domestic dispute had come separately to make complaints and continued their dispute there, Lemons said.
Sgt. Bill Gibbs - also responding to the police station - was ahead of Baker, but not by a considerable distance. Shiflett turned sometime after Gibbs had come through the area and as Baker approached.
State police are investigating the wreck instead of Christiansburg police because it involved a town officer. The trooper who worked the wreck was on midnight shift and could not be reached Friday. A brief report released by a state police dispatcher did not say whether Shiflett was wearing a seat belt or how fast the cars were traveling.
``The officers were making a rapid response to a domestic situation in the lobby of the [Police Department] ... utilizing all the emergency lights, flashing headlights and electronic sirens,'' Lemons said.
Shiflett, who lived on Evans Street, was dead at the scene, state police said.
Baker was taken to Montgomery Regional Hospital with a broken kneecap and concussion, Chief Lemons said. A seat belt and air bags saved him from more serious injuries.
Blanche Shiflett said her daughter was returning from her job in Dublin, where she worked as a cashier at Wade's Supermarket.
``She was coming home and was almost home - within a half block of coming home - and the policeman hit her,'' Blanche Shiflett said.
She is not sure whether her daughter routinely wore her seat belt, but said ``she did have an air bag, and they said that air bag did go off.''
Anita Jennings, Shiflett's sister, said the car was ``tore all to pieces.''
``We don't know if she just didn't see the second one or what happened,'' Jennings said.
`` ... She was such a good person and made friends with everybody. I don't think she had a bad bone in her body.''
Keywords:
FATALITY
by CNB