NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – An officer with the Newport News Police Department was involved in a fatal crash with a work vehicle at Turnberry Boulevard and Jefferson Avenue Friday night.
Photo courtesy of the Newport News Police Department
The officer involved in the incident notified dispatchers at 10:12 p.m.
A preliminary investigation revealed that the officer was driving his marked patrol car southbound on Jefferson Avenue alongside a silver SUV. As both vehicles were passing through the intersection while the traffic light was still green, a white work van traveling westbound on Turnberry struck the police car. The police car then struck the vehicle beside him.
It was reported that the white work van had a red light when the crash happened. After the collision, the adult male driver of the van was ejected from the vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Police have identified him as 69-year-old Dale Schaffer of Virginia Beach.
The white van also struck a power box and an unoccupied vehicle on the Pomoco dealership lot.
The officer did not sustain any major injuries and was taken to a local hospital for evaluation. The two occupants of the silver SUV were not injured.
The Newport News Police Department Crash Team Unit is investigating this incident.
