ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, November 22, 1996 TAG: 9611220040
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: DUMFRIES
SOURCE: Associated Press
A 3-year-old girl was in critical condition with spinal injuries Thursday after her father engaged in a rush-hour traffic duel that ended in a three-vehicle crash, police said.
Brenna Finck of Fredericksburg was in Fairfax Hospital's intensive care unit after the crash Wednesday morning on Interstate 95 near the Quantico exit.
The accident came two days before Narkey K. Terry's scheduled sentencing for his role in a similar high-speed feud that killed three people on the George Washington Parkway in Northern Virginia. Terry was convicted of involuntary manslaughter.
In Wednesday's accident, Robert Finck of Fredericksburg was driving to work in Woodbridge with his wife, Sandra, and their daughter in the car. He got into a dispute with Fred Hamilton Jr. of Locust Grove, state police spokeswoman Lucy Caldwell said.
Finck, 37, told police Hamilton cut him off. Hamilton, 20, said it was Finck who cut him off as he switched lanes.
``It's not clear what happened, but one thing is clear: there was some kind of confrontation that continued for three or four miles,'' Caldwell said.
The drivers raced each other, gesturing angrily as they traveled. They collided, and Finck's car spun out of control, hit another car and flipped several times before landing in the median, Caldwell said.
Robert and Sandra Finck and a 49-year-old passenger in the third car, William Valvo of Newport News, were treated for minor injuries at Potomac Hospital and released.
A decision on whether anyone will be charged probably will not be made until next week, Caldwell said.
Michael Roman, 48, of Chesapeake was driving the third car. He said Finck's Ford Explorer hit his car with explosive force, ripping off his front bumper and grill.
``He was out of control when he hit me,'' Roman said.
He said Finck's car went airborne and rolled several times.
``I could see the Explorer was just a mess. I saw the little girl with her lower torso hanging out of a window of the vehicle. We wrapped her in my suit coat to keep her kind of warm'' while waiting for paramedics.
Roman said he did not see Finck and Hamilton arguing before the crash, but he said one of the men admitted they had an altercation.
``He said the other driver was mad at him and flipped him off,'' he said. ``Anger got this situation out of control. People that can't control their anger shouldn't be driving.''
Lon Anderson, spokesman for the Potomac chapter of the American Automobile Association, said he was troubled by the accident's similarity to the April 17 crash on the George Washington Parkway.
``Once again, we've got potentially fatal behavior between a couple of people who couldn't control their tempers behind the wheel,'' Anderson said.
LENGTH: Medium: 59 linesby CNB