Fluvanna crash kills 1 teen, severely injures 3

Caitlin M. Conn, 14, of Palmyra, was killed in a Thursday night crash on Nahor Manor Road in Fluvanna County, Virginia State Police said Friday.

Charges stemming from the crash are pending, but their nature wasn’t immediately available, state police spokeswoman Deborah Cox said.

Conn was riding with three other teens in a 1997 Saab that crashed about 8:30 p.m., according to the state police.

The car “struck a wooden fence, several mailboxes and two trees,” according to a news release.

The driver and two other passengers were taken to the University of Virginia Medical Center with life-threatening injuries, according to the release.

A preliminary investigation showed that alcohol wasn’t a factor but speed was, the release said.

Police identified the driver as Matthew B Rigsby, 18, of Palmyra.

His passengers were identified as Dylan Saylor of Scottsvilleand Morgan Winter of Palmyra, both 15.

State police think Rigsby was the only one wearing a seatbelt, the release read.

The state police’s reconstruction team will seek to determine more details, Cox said. She said she wasn’t sure how long the investigation would take.

“I think they make sure they run everything with a fine-tooth comb before they put out any final results,” she said.

Officials at Fluvanna County High School had counselors on hand for students Friday, Superintendent Tom Smith said.

He said the schools pulled staff up from the middle school to help students deal with their grief. Any sort of memorial for Conn will be arranged later, he said.

“What we would have to do is look at that down road,” he said. “Right now we’re trying to take care of the immediate issues with students.”

And Smith said it’s not the first time the school has lost students this way.

“We’ve had automobile deaths like this over the past several years,” he said.

He added, “We just want folks to understand that we’re working with our kids, working to help take care of them, and also let the families know that they’re in our thoughts and prayers.”

Area students flocked to a Web site memorial on Facebook, a social networking site.

By Friday evening, hundreds of people had “joined” the memorial, and more than 20 had written their thoughts.

“You made me laugh and made me smile. You were always there for me whenever i needed a friend,” wrote one poster, who identified herself as Breann Brown.