Virginia Highway Death Toll Climbing
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A firefighter from Henrico County died from the personal injuries he received on
the morning of Sunday, March 30 after he was pinned between a vehicle and a
tree at his home in New
Kent County.
According to New Kent authorities, Joseph Ritzenthaler had been a member of the
Henrico Fire Department for almost six years.
Rescue workers who responded to the call on Piney Branch Lane in Providence Forge
discovered Ritzenthaler trapped. They extracted him, provided medical care, and
transported him to VCU
Medical Center
where he was later pronounced dead, according to authorities.
According to authorities, Ritzenthaler might have been attempting to start
the vehicle to go to work when it lurched forward and trapped him against the
tree. The death is under investigation as an accident.
Virginia State Police also noted that a man died the night before in a crash
in Madison County.
Police said that 50-year-old Robert Jenkins died when his truck crashed into
a tree shortly after 8 p.m. The accident took place on West Hoover Road. Police said he was not
wearing his seat belt.
State police also said that a man from Vienna
died in a hospital on March 27 from the personal injuries he received in a
crash over a week prior.
Shortly after noon on March 19, 65-year-old Wenceslao Yap crashed his car on
Interstate 66 in Fairfax
County. As he attempted
to avoid debris, his vehicle ran off the left side of the road, hitting a
barrier, according to authorities.
The three fatalities bring the 2008 highway death toll of Virginia to 191, compared with 200 at the
same time last year.