ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, October 2, 1996 TAG: 9610020036
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: LISA K. GARCIA STAFF WRITER
Blacksburg High School's principal said cross country runners were exactly where they were supposed to be when a freak accident sent a car hurtling into four of nine team members Monday afternoon on a South Main Street sidewalk.
Alfred Smith said the students were running a nine-mile course, mapped by their coach, that keeps the runners on back roads as much as possible.
A runner who crashed through the car's windshield remained in Columbia Montgomery Regional Hospital listed in stable condition Tuesday, according to a hospital spokeswoman. Charles Cade, 16, of Blacksburg, broke his shoulder and leg.
The three other injured runners - Rapfeal Gray, 16; John D. Patterson, 17; and Bryce L. Gyer, 17 - were treated and released, the hospital spokeswoman said.
Town police said Tuesday the teen-age driver of a van that caused the car to hit the runners will probably be ticketed for making an improper turn.
Lt. Bruce Bradbery would not release the name of the 17-year-old boy who was driving the van owned by New River Office Supply Monday afternoon. But Bradbery said he expects the citation to be issued.
Police said the accident resulted when the van changed lanes and ran into a car driven by a Christiansburg woman.
The van was stopped in the left turn lane of the 2400 block of South Main Street - in front of the U.S. Forest Service office - facing south, when the teen-ager decided to change lanes. The van hit a car that was heading south and forced it onto the adjacent sidewalk. Once on the walk, the car collided with the runners, police said.
The posted speed limit in that stretch of South Main is 45 mph.
The car's driver, Kimberly S. Alley, her 10-year-old son, Joseph Weaver, and 7-year-old daughter Ashley Weaver, were injured in the accident. A hospital spokeswoman said they were all treated and released.
The high school principal admitted there are hazards when the students run, but this accident could have happened to anyone.
Smith said the team members are given a list of rules concerning practice and are expected to follow those rules right down to where to cross the street.
"The coach draws out what we consider the safest route," Smith said. "You can't have a long-distance running team without letting them run."
Smith said the accident affected everyone involved, including the teen who was driving the van. A counselor from the school met with the boy and his father Tuesday morning, Smith said.
LENGTH: Medium: 52 linesby CNB