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One dead in Route 340 DUI in Augusta County

Chris Graham

policecar3At 1:42 p.m. Thursday (Dec. 18), Virginia State Police Sr. Trooper D.C. Brydge responded to a single-vehicle crash in the Augusta County community of Crimora. The crash occurred on Route 340, approximately one mile north of Route 612.

A 1998 Chevrolet Suburban was traveling south on Route 340 when it drove onto the double-solid line and braked suddenly. The driver of the SUV then lost control causing the vehicle to run off the left side of the road and strike a tree. The SUV then overturned and landed upside down in a culvert.

The driver, Dustin R.S. Kratzer, 20, of Crimora, Va., was not wearing a seat belt. He was flown to UVA Hospital for treatment of serious, but non-life threatening injuries.

The front-seat passenger, April N. Burns, 20, of Crimora, Va., was also not wearing a seat belt. She died at the scene.

Kratzer has been arrested for DUI and charged for not having an operator’s license, for not wearing a seat belt and for the vehicle’s expired inspection sticker.

The crash remains under investigation.

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Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, TikTok, BlueSky, or subscribe to Substack or his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].