Jeffrey Dupree

Tracie Nininger

Two drivers were charged after a Vinton man was killed early Wednesday morning by a chain-reaction crash in a Roanoke County construction zone, officials said.

Tracie Nininger, 42, was charged with involuntary manslaughter and driving under the influence, according to Roanoke County Officer Mike Christian. Jeffrey Dupree, 32, was charged with driving under the influence.

Dupree was driving behind Nininger at the time of the crash that killed Richard Slone, Christian said.

Nininger and Dupree, both Roanoke County residents, had just left a restaurant, Christian said.

Slone was working for S.R. Draper Paving Co. in the 4000 block of Electric Road (Virginia 419) when he was killed shortly after 12:30 a.m. Wednesday.

"That woman just took a big spark out of my life," said Slone's sister, Melissa Crouch. "I want her to know how important he was to us."

Crouch said that Slone, 46, rarely worked the night shift, but he did so to earn overtime pay for his two children.

The incident occurred as Nininger and Dupree traveled in separate vehicles north on Electric Road just past the intersection of Ogden Road. Nininger was driving a Hummer H3 when the vehicle struck a backhoe that was on the side of the road behind a dump truck, Christian said.

Then, Dupree struck the rear of the Hummer as he drove behind in a Chevrolet Avalanche, Christian said.

Slone, the driver of the dump truck, was hit and killed after the vehicles collided.

"It was almost simultaneous," Christian said. "She hit the backhoe and then immediately Dupree's vehicle hit her."

Slone was impaled by a plow attached to the backhoe. He was then thrown onto the hood of Nininger's Hummer, Christian said. The medical examiner's office has not yet determined an exact cause of death.

Nininger's blood alcohol content was 0.19 percent, more than twice the legal limit for driving of .08, Christian said. Dupree refused the test, Christian said.

An investigation is ongoing and police are trying to obtain a search warrant to access both vehicles' event-data recorders, which are part of a car's air-bag deployment system. The recorders can determine factors related to a crash such as speed, acceleration and whether a driver was wearing a seat belt, Christian said.

It is unclear at this point whether Nininger and Dupree may face higher penalties because the incident occurred in a work zone, Christian said.

Both were taken to the Roanoke County-Salem Jail on Wednesday. Dupree was released in the afternoon on a $1,000 secured bond while Nininger is still being held without bond, according to Deputy Joseph Mullins with Roanoke County Sheriff's Office.

Construction worker David Dorr described his own surprise as he worked near the crash site Wednesday morning.

"You never can be too careful out here," he said. "We don't even like getting out in the road if we don't have to."

Another construction worker, Mark Perkins, said that Slone was working in front of the Texas Steakhouse & Saloon, where a pipeline was being installed for a new sprinkler system.

Crouch described how her brother began working for S.R. Draper Paving after he stopped truck driving.

He made that decision in order to spend more time with his daughter Sara, 16, and son Ken, 15. His son is a freshman at Staunton River High School and his daughter is a junior at Radford High School.

"When his son came to live with him he took a different job that paid less so that he could be with his son during the nights, which is why this is so ironic," Crouch said.

Richard Slone and his sister, 16 months younger, grew up as best friends in Roanoke County. The two are the youngest of five siblings.

Slone graduated from William Byrd High School in 1978. He then served in the Army for two years until he was medically discharged at age 21 after a bullet entered his head during a training exercise.

"They couldn't remove it, but that didn't stop him," Crouch said. "I always admired him. He always went on like it was nothing."

David Kidd, a superintendent at the company's asphalt plant, said Slone had worked with S.R. Draper Paving for three or four years.

He said he was unsure about the status of safety precautions on the night of the incident.

Crouch remembered her brother as an easygoing friend and a great listener who was always eager to help. He was a big jokester and fan of NASCAR racing who loved to laugh and fix up old cars, she said.

But, it was his kids who really motivated him.

"He lived for his kids," Crouch said. "He spent every minute he could with the kids."