87-Year-Old Charged After Fatal Crash In Gainesville: Police

GAINESVILLE, VA — An 87-year-old man was charged after a fatal crash on Sudley Road in Gainesville on Monday morning, the Prince William County Police Department said.

One person, 31-year-old Williams Ely Monge Rodriguez, died in the crash. Another driver suffered injuries that were not life-threatening in the three-vehicle crash.

After the crash, authorities charged 87-year-old Paul Leon Reece with one count of failure to stop or yield before entering a highway. He was released on a summons and his court date is pending.

The crash occurred around 6 a.m. on Monday near Sudley Road and Stepney Drive in Gainesville. Investigators believe that Reece was driving a 2019 Cadillac XT4 when he tried to turn left from Stepney Drive onto Sudley Road.

During the turn, Reece's Cadillac collided with a 1998 Toyota Corolla that was driving on Sudley Road. The driver of the Corolla tried to avoid the Cadillac and sideswiped the SUV, authorities said.

The crash spun the Corolla before it was hit by a 2008 Toyota Yaris that was travelling in the opposite direction on Sudley Road, the police department said.

First responders took the driver of the Corolla to a hospital, where he died of his injuries. The driver of the Yaris was also taken to a hospital.

The two people in the Cadillac XT4 did not report any injuries, according to the police report. Investigators said Reece, as the driver of the Cadillac, was at fault in the crash.