STAFFORD COUNTY, Va. — A chaotic chain-reaction crash involving three vehicles on Interstate 95 injured eight people Saturday night, including two who were ejected after failing to wear seatbelts.
The crash occurred just before 8:30 p.m. at the 132-mile marker in the northbound lanes. According to Virginia State Police, a Mazda traveling at high speed attempted to squeeze between two vehicles — one unidentified and the other a 2022 Hyundai Palisade — when it struck the Hyundai.
The impact sent the Hyundai onto the guardrail, overturning it. The Mazda’s driver, identified as 23-year-old Joseph T. Celich, was not wearing a seatbelt and was thrown from the car during the collision.
While Celich lay in the roadway, a 2017 Nissan Sentra traveling north was unable to avoid hitting him and then collided with the disabled Mazda. The Nissan was driven by a 17-year-old male who was unharmed and properly restrained.
A female passenger in the Mazda, a 24-year-old from Fredericksburg, was also ejected and sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
Multiple vehicles, minor injuries for family in SUV
The Hyundai Palisade’s driver, a 42-year-old man from Alexandria, and four passengers — a 42-year-old woman, a 9-year-old girl, a 7-year-old boy, and a 3-year-old girl — were all treated for minor injuries. Police noted all five occupants were properly restrained at the time of the crash.
State police confirmed that Celich suffered serious injuries but is expected to recover. Both ejected individuals were transported to a hospital following the crash.
Authorities stated Wednesday that charges are pending as the investigation continues into the sequence of events and contributing factors in the crash.
A total of three vehicles and eight individuals were involved in the crash that brought traffic to a standstill on one of Virginia’s busiest highway corridors.