Prince George Teen Killed in Tragic Accident
By Contributed Report
Sep 25, 2012, 15:32
A Prince George County teenager was killed Tuesday morning (Sept. 25) when his vehicle ran off the road and overturned into the Blackwater Swamp.
The crash occurred approximately 7:46 a.m. Tuesday on Courthouse Road, just east of Bull Hill Road in Prince George County. The single-vehicle crash was witnessed by a Prince George County Police Officer who was responding to an emergency alarm call at the county’s administrative building.
The 1993 Honda Accord was traveling east on Courthouse Road when it ran off the right side of the road and traveled approximately 135 feet before striking a sign and falling into the Blackwater Swamp. The sign was one of two black-and-white hazard signs positioned where the embankment alongside the road drops off several feet into a culvert of water.
The Honda overturned and rapidly sank, upside down in the water. Upon seeing the car go off the embankment, the Prince George Police Officer immediately stopped and jumped into the water in an attempt to rescue the occupant of the vehicle. The depth of the water is approximately 10 feet deep. The swampy water was very murky with limited visibility.
Within minutes, a second Prince George Police Officer responded and also tried to help rescue the occupant from the Honda. The City of Petersburg Fire Department’s Dive Team aided with the rescue and recovery of the driver.
The driver, Marvin Massenburg Jr., 17, of Prince George, died at the scene.
Corinne Geller, Public Relations Director for the Virginia State Police, said it is unclear whether Massenburg pulled over to let the police officer pass.
The Virginia State Police Accident Reconstruction Team is assisting Sr. Trooper K.S. Holt with the ongoing investigation into the crash.
A second driver who witnessed the crash approached the Prince George Police on Tuesday afternoon and is talking to State Police.
