Spotsylvania teen dies in auto accident

A 17-year-old girl was killed in a one-vehicle crash early yesterday morning near Lake Anna.

The crash happened about 1:20 a.m. on Stubbs Bridge Road in Spotsylvania about a half mile south of Dovey Road, said state police Sgt. F.L. Tyler.

The driver of a 2004 Toyota Tacoma was driving north on Stubbs Bridge when he ran off the right side of the road, Tyler said. He overcorrected, and the vehicle overturned.

Chelsea Herring, a passenger in the truck, was partially ejected. She was not wearing a seat belt and was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:02 a.m.

Caroline High School Principal Harper Donahoe confirmed today that she was an 11th grade student there and a member of the school's softball team.

The driver, Herring's father, Barbour Franklin Herring III, 45, of Spotsylvania, was transported to Mary Washington Hospital. Tyler did not know how severe the driver's injuries were or whether he was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash.

Trooper F.G. Childs investigated the accident. No charges will be filed against the driver, Tyler said.

--from staff reports