ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, April 23, 1996 TAG: 9604230124
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LAURENCE HAMMACK STAFF WRITER
Thomas "Fred" Faucher was known to be careful behind the wheel, having worked as a truck driver hauling hazardous materials.
Faucher had even more incentive to be cautious while out for a drive Sunday afternoon. His girlfriend, Lori D. Mason, was sitting next to him, and their 6-week-old daughter, Joleen, was strapped into a child safety seat in the back.
Although police said Faucher and Mason were not wearing seat belts, what happened at Williamson and Plantation roads in Roanoke County apparently could not have been avoided by even the most conscientious driver.
A speeding motorist, pursued for miles by Roanoke County police, ran a red light and crashed into Faucher's car as he drove through the intersection.
Faucher, 34, and Mason, 36, died at the scene. Joleen, who was thrown from the car by the impact, died Monday at Community Hospital of the Roanoke Valley.
Friends and family members remembered them Monday as a devoted family who just happened to be caught in the middle of the chase.
"I think they were just out on a Sunday afternoon for a drive," said Faucher's aunt, Jennie Murdock of Salem. "It was a beautiful day, and a lot of people were out.
"I think they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time."
Faucher's father, Thomas Faucher of Bedford County, declined to comment Monday, except to deny news reports that he was planning a lawsuit against the Roanoke County Police Department.
People who knew Faucher say that if anyone could have avoided the accident, he could have.
As an employee of an oil company in California, where he grew up, Faucher was certified to drive tankers carrying toxic materials. Friends and family said he was just as careful on the road when he was off the job.
When he moved back to Vinton several years ago, he got a job with Safety Kleen Corp., a hazardous waste recycler.
After working as a truck driver for the Vinton company, Faucher became a senior warehouseman and, with his outgoing personality, quickly made friends.
"He was probably one of the most well-liked people in the branch," said Bryan Young, branch manager at Safety Kleen.
Both Faucher and his father were members of the Bedford County Moose Lodge, where members described them as "family-oriented people."
Faucher always brought Mason with him to dinners at the lodge, and his father was a regular member of a card-playing group. Club Steward Joseph Grant said the elder Faucher was excited about the birth of his granddaughter six weeks ago.
"It was just a big smile on his face after that happened," Grant said.
Faucher, who had two children from a previous marriage in California, also was excited about his youngest child and was planning to marry Mason, Young said. Mason, who met Faucher in California, had been staying at home and caring for their infant.
Just the day before the accident, on Saturday, they had taken Joleen to Wal-Mart to pose for what was to be their first family portrait.
LENGTH: Medium: 61 lines KEYWORDS: FATALITYby CNB