Man Driving 85 Mph On GW Parkway Sentenced For Passenger's Death

MOUNT VERNON, VA — A driver was sentenced Friday to 30 months in prison for a crash that killed the passenger in his car on the George Washington Memorial Parkway.

Samuel Meyer, 22, was sentenced on a manslaughter charge tied to a crash around 5:45 p.m. on May 31, 2020. Prosecutors say Meyer was going 50 mph over the speed limit when his vehicle crashed near the Mount Vernon circle. Meyer was driving his Toyota Tacoma truck south on the George Washington Memorial Parkway near where the road ends at the Mount Vernon circle when he lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle left the roadway and crashed into the woods.

The vehicle struck a tree, killing the front seat passenger, Michael Cunningham, 19. Cunningham, who was wearing his seat belt, was taken to the hospital but could not be revived. It was determined he died from blunt trauma injuries to his head, neck, trunk and extremities.

Meyer and a backseat passenger were taken to the hospital with minor injuries. Blood samples taken from Meyer hours after the crash found his blood alcohol content was .09 g/100 mL, which is above the legal limit of less than .08. Blood samples also revealed the presence of the main metabolite of cocaine, the psychoactive component of marijuana (THC), and a substance formed by the liver when cocaine and alcohol coexist in the blood.

The electronic data recorder from Meyer's vehicle found he was driving 85.1 miles when the crash happened, which is 50 above the 35 mph speed limit at the location. Prosecutors say there was no indication Meyer used the brakes, but the accelerator was used five seconds before impact. In court, the other passenger testified he and Cunningham pressed Meyer to slow down before the crash occurred.

According to court documents, the force of the crash caused the skin of the passenger side to peel off entirely. The front passenger door of the vehicle had been embedded into a tree a short distance from where the truck ended up.

The southern portion of the George Washington Memorial Parkway has been the site of recent safety improvements due to concerns about safety. One of the changes implemented in fall 2021 was a road diet reducing from four to three lanes in sections between Tulane Drive and Stratford Lane. The portions of the parkway with a road diet have two northbound lanes, one southbound lane and one turn lane.