A 30-year-old Lanexa man who was dragged by a car almost four miles after a car accident Saturday afternoon in James City County is paralyzed from the neck down.
The man was driving his 1997 Volkswagen sedan at a high rate of speed on the 8900 block of Richmond Road when it hydroplaned, spun several times and crashed into a tree near James City Recycling. He was ejected from the vehicle into the roadway, where he was struck by a 1995 Honda sedan that was also traveling at a high rate of speed—that vehicle dragged him almost four miles into New Kent County, said Maj. Stephen Rubino of the James City County Police Department. Police were called to the crash just before 3 p.m.
Rubino said the Volkswagen had two 8-year-old children in it at the time of the crash, both of whom were taken to the hospital to be treated for non-life threatening injuries. They have both since been released. One of those children is the son of the man who was dragged.
Both children were wearing their seatbelts at the time of the accident, though the man who was dragged was not, Rubino said. The crash and subsequent dragging took place in a 55 mph zone.
The 22-year-old Providence Forge resident who drove the Honda told police he was unaware there was a body beneath his vehicle during the four-mile drive. Another motorist eventually flagged him down and alerted him that it was there.
The 30-year-old remains hospitalized. It was originally reported that he was 31 years old, but the police have since updated his age.
The crash and circumstances leading up to it remain under investigation, although the driver of the Honda told police he had been racing with the driver of the Volkswagen prior to the crash. No charges have been filed at this time, Rubino said. Drugs and alcohol are not believed to have been a factor in the crash.
