Police: Drag Race Collision Closes Down Route 1

Photo: Firefighters and rescue personnel transport a driver seriously injured in a two-car collision Monday on Route 1 at Mary Washington Boulevard.

Photo Credit: Robert Martin

A drag race on Route 1 caused a two-car collision Monday evening that left two drivers seriously injured and closed down part of the highway, Fredericksburg police said.

The accident occurred at about 6:45 p.m. in the 500 block of Jefferson Davis Highway (Route 1), according to a police report. A red Toyota driven by Cathryn Wadsworth, 48, of Ruther Glen was turning from Route 1 northbound onto Mary Washington Boulevard when it was struck broadside by a white Acura operated by Michael Yanick, 30, of Spotsylvania County.

The Acura was traveling south on Route 1 at a high rate of speed at the time of the crash, police said, and witnesses reported that the driver was drag racing with another vehicle just prior to the impact. The second vehicle was not involved in the crash.

Wadsworth and Yanick were both transported to a local hospital, and police had to shut down the southbound lanes of Route 1 at Mary Washington Boulevard for about 30 minutes.

Yanick was charged by police with reckless driving/racing and operating an uninsured vehicle. Wadsworth was charged with failure to yield the right of way.