THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 14, 1994 TAG: 9408140063
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Short : 35 lines
A 16-year-old Virginia Beach girl died Saturday of injuries received Aug. 1 when the car in which she was riding caught fire after being struck from behind.
State police said Diona Speller died early Saturday from extensive burns and other injuries suffered in the early-morning wreck.
Two other people already had died as a result of the same wreck, which involved four vehicles.
Police said Speller was in a Subaru that had become disabled about 7:50 a.m. The car had pulled into a striped safety-zone area on I-564 near the point where the HOV lane empties into the interstate.
An Isuzu Trooper struck the Subaru, causing both vehicles to spin, each hitting other vehicles. The Subaru caught fire on impact.
Another motorist pulled Speller from the vehicle, but no one was able to reach either her sister or the other occupant.
Speller's sister, Jacqueline Thomas, 34, and Theresa Lacoursiere, 36, both of Virginia Beach, were pronounced dead at the scene.
Yvonne Johnston, 33, of Virginia Beach, who was driving the Isuzu, received minor head injuries and was treated and released from a hospital that day.
State police spokeswoman Tammy Van Dame said Johnston, who was charged with reckless driving after the accident, faces no additional charges.
KEYWORDS: ACCIDENT TRAFFIC FATALITIES INJURIES by CNB