State Police say 17-year-old Ashley Barton of Moneta died Sunday night when the car she was driving left State Route 24 and struck a tree. Investigators say Barton’s car left the roadway when she tried to avoid striking a deer. Barton is the third Staunton River High School student to die in traffic crashes on Route 24 in less than a week. Two others were killed last week when their car pulled out in front of a pickup truck as they headed to school.
(Continue reading for the full State Police news release.)
Here is the full Virginia State Police news release:
UPDATE: The driver of last night’s fatal crash on Route 24 in Bedford County has been identified as Ashley Brooke Barton, age 17, of Moneta, Virginia. Ashley also attended Staunton River High School in Bedford County.
The Virginia State Police are continuing their investigation into a single vehicle crash that occurred around 9:15 pm on Route 24 near Meadors Spur Road in Bedford County. The preliminary investigation revealed that a 2000 Volkswagen Beetle was traveling eastbound on Route 24 when the driver attempted to avoid striking a deer. The driver overcorrected and ran off the right side of the road and traveled down an embankment striking a tree. The driver was a 17 year old female from Moneta, Va. and she was wearing a safety belt at the time of the crash but was pronounced dead at the scene. No further information regarding the crash is available at this time.
