Thomas E. Walker
Virginia Beach, Va. – A Chesapeake man is behind bars after a DUI crash into a school bus left one person dead.
On Saturday, November 17, 2012, at approximately 2:15 a.m., emergency crews received a report of a single vehicle crash in the 800 block of Northwood Drive.
Police, Fire, and EMS teams responded to the crash and found the suspect’s vehicle with the victim in the front passenger seat.
Police say the suspect was traveling southbound on Northwood Drive and was operating a 1996 Ford Taurus vehicle. The suspect exited a curve and lost control of his vehicle, striking a school bus that was legally parked. This impact caused significant damage to the passenger side of his vehicle, police say.
The vehicle then struck a curb, and a fire hydrant. The vehicle came to rest at the intersection with Meadowbridge Lane.
After the vehicle hit the school bus, the victim suffered serious head injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene by EMS.
The victim has been identified as 31-year-old Ryan Matthew Ballard of the 3700 block of Stoneshore Road in Virginia Beach.
The suspect is identified as 32-year-old Thomas Eldon Walker of the 1600 block of Widgeon Court, Chesapeake. Walker is charged with DUI and Involuntary Manslaughter. He is currently in the Virginia Beach Correctional Center without bond.
This case remains under investigation.
Watch NewsChannel 3 at Noon for updates.
