NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - The Virginia State Police is investigating a three-vehicle crash in Newport News that left a woman dead late Saturday night.
According to police, officers were called to the scene of the crash at approximately 10:05 p.m. The crash occurred in the northbound lanes of I-664, south of Terminal Avenue.
Upon arriving at the scene, troopers found a 74-year-old female passenger had died due to the impact of the crash.
Preliminary investigations reveal that the driver of a 2017 BMW, Tasha Smith, was traveling in the left lane of I-664 N when her vehicle ran out of gas and came to a stop partially in the left shoulder/left lane. Smith placed her hazard lights on and exited the vehicle, leaving her passenger, Ava Newton, inside the vehicle.
Smith attempted to wave people/vehicles to slow down, when a 2019 Mitsubishi Outlander exited the tunnel and struck the BMW from behind. The force of the impact pushed the BMW into the jersey wall and then into the middle of the travel lanes.
Once the vehicle came to rest in the middle of the travel lanes, the vehicle was then struck again by a 2005 Toyota Avalon. Newton was not wearing her seatbelt at the time of impact and died at the scene.
Drivers of the other vehicles involved suffered non-life threatening injuries.
The investigation is ongoing, police said.
