Driver and Victim Charged

<bt>An 18-year-old Ashburn woman was charged with reckless driving Monday, Feb. 23, after a two-vehicle accident on Waxpool Road that sent a Herndon man, Matthew Vereb, 24, to an area hospital with serious injuries. Vereb has also been charged with driving under the influence and driving without insurance.

According to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, Abigail Clouse was merging onto westbound Waxpool Road from Pacific Boulevard shortly after 10 p.m. when she cut across two lanes of traffic and hit Vereb’s 1997 Honda Civic.

Vereb, who was ejected from his vehicle, was airlifted to Inova Fairfax Hospital where he is being treated for serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Vereb was not wearing his seatbelt.

Clouse, who was driving a 1997 Honda Accord, was taken to Loudoun Hospital where she was treated and released.

<sh>Teen Killed in Accident

<bt>A teenager was killed Thursday, Feb. 26 when the SUV she was riding in rolled over at a construction site near South Riding, Sheriff's deputies said. Brittany Ellis, 17, of Lansdowne was a front-seat passenger in a 2003 Nissan Xterra that was being driven off-road in the Stone Ridge subdivision. When it bottomed out and rolled, Ellis was thrown part way out of the vehicle, which then landed on top of her, deputies said. The driver, Christopher Lee Leight, and a backseat passenger were treated at the scene for minor injuries. Sheriff's spokesman Kraig Troxell said none of the three were wearing seat belts.

<sh>Cement Truck Driver Dies

<bt>The driver of a cement truck was killed Thursday, Feb. 26 near Leesburg when he lost control of the vehicle after a blowout. State Trooper L.K. Armstrong said William Mike Larrick, 42, of Winchester was driving the truck south on Evergreen Mill Road when the blowout occurred. The truck left the road, went through a fence, hit several trees and overturned. Armstrong said that the weight of the truck, about 60,000 pounds, made it impossible to control. The truck was owned by the Cardinal Concrete Co. of Lorton.

<sh>Sisters Pulled from Icy Water

<bt>A Loudoun man is being called a hero after he saved the lives of two sisters that fell through the ice of a neighborhood pond on Thursday afternoon, Feb. 26. The two girls, ages 6 and 8, were playing near a pond behind the 21300 block of Small Branch Place in Broadlands when they fell through the ice and into the water. Arriving on the scene, fire-rescue personnel proceeded to the rear of the address where they found Eric Steenstram, 40, waving rescuers to the bank. Steenstram was standing on the bank with two children. Steenstram, who lives in the neighborhood, saw one of the children out on the ice and went to help. When he got to the pond, he found two small children had fallen through the ice. According to Steenstram, one of the children went under water and did not come back up for air. Steenstram jumped into the water and swam to the girls, pulling them both to safety. The girls were taken to Loudoun Hospital where they were listed in stable condition.

<sh>Dulles Area Transportation Association

<bt>"Improving Transportation in the Greater Dulles Area

Transportation" seminar will be presented on Wednesday, March 10. Speakers include Hobie Mitchell, CTB; Susan Shaw, Virginia Department of Transportation; and Jon Harman, Route 28 Improvements, LLC.

This seminar is sponsored by Michael Bartscherer, America Online, at the Headquarters Building. Registration and Continental Breakfast will be at 8 a.m. in the Geneva Conference Room. The information session will be held at 8: 15 a.m., with questions and answers following at 9:30 a.m. 2000 Pacific Blvd., Dulles. RSVP by March 5, to info@datatrans.org or call 703-817-1307. Names will be checked at the entrance gate.

<sh>Deadline for Town Candidates

<bt>Loudoun County election officials remind candidates that Tuesday, March 2 is the deadline for individuals to file the paperwork necessary to have their names placed on the ballot for the town elections. The paperwork can be picked up at the Voter Registration Office located at 26-C Fairfax Street, SE, Leesburg, or downloaded from the State Board of Elections website at www.sbe.state.va.us. Town elections will be held in Loudoun’s seven incorporated towns: Hamilton, Hillsboro, Leesburg, Lovettsville, Middleburg, Purcellville and Round Hill, on Tuesday, May 4. The deadline to register to vote or change an address will be Monday, April 5 at 5 p.m.