Virginia Tech student Paige Neubauer killed in car accident on I-81
‘Our sorority’s motto is ‘do good,’ and she lived by that motto’
Two young women were killed Friday night around 10 p.m. in an I-81 accident in Wythe County. The driver, Paige M. Neubauer, was a Virginia Tech student. The three-vehicle crash sent five others to the hospital with varying injuries.
Paige was a communication studies major and worked at Hokie Grill and Co. She was also a member of the Delta Gamma sorority.
Caroline Cogan, the Delta Gamma chapter president, said the social media posts about Neubauer overflowing with emotion and fond memories wasn’t a surprise.
“Paige was one of the most genuine people I’ve ever met in my entire life, and I don’t have any memories of when she didn’t have a smile across her face,” she told the Roanoke Times.
The state police spokeswoman Corinne Geller stated Neubauer was driving a Honda Insight south on I-81, about two miles north of the I-77 interchange. She attempted to cross the median when she struck a Honda Civic head-on. Neubauer’s vehicle spun into the other lanes when her car was struck by a Ford F-150 pickup truck.
The driver of the Honda Civic, 22-year-old Rachel Jones, was flown to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital to treat her injuries. As of Saturday, her condition was undetermined. Her passenger, 21-year-old Bridgett Oliver, died at the scene. Both were wearing their seatbelts.
The driver of the pickup truck, a 46-year-old Georgia man, and his three passengers were taken to the hospital in Pulaski County for treatment of minor injuries, police said.
The cause of the crash is under investigation. Lanes were shut down until 1:30 a.m. while said investigation was being conducted by the state police crash reconstruction team.
Radford students received an email from Radford University Interim Vice President of Student Affairs Irvin Clark regarding the crash. He shared that Oliver was a senior honors nursing major and Jones was a fellow nursing student.
“School of Nursing Director Tony Ramsey shared with me what a tremendous impact Bridgett made to the honors nursing program and how she was looking forward to a career where she could serve the needs of and help others,” he wrote.
A memorial vigil was held for Bridgett Oliver this past Sunday, April 2nd, at 7:30 p.m. Radford has provided grief counselors to its students throughout the weekend.
We sent our condolences to the loved ones of Paige Neubauer and Bridgett Oliver.