ATLANTIC, VA - An Oak Hall woman charged in the fatal pedestrian crash that left another woman dead and injured a man and child was acquitted of involuntary manslaughter and convicted of misdemeanor reckless driving today in Accomack County.
Jessica Waterfield, 36, was the driver of an SUV that struck a family of three on Nocks Landing Road in Atlantic last April. The crash killed 26-year-old Erika Bailey and injured Bailey’s boyfriend, 39-year-old Duane Turner, and their 6-year-old daughter.
Bailey and Turner were walking alongside their daughter as she rode her bike next to the roadway on April 12th, 2023 at about 6:30 p.m. The SUV crashed into all three of them, and Bailey was killed on impact. Turner and his daughter were seriously injured, but survived.
Waterfield and her 3-year-old passenger were not injured.
Neither speed nor alcohol were involved, according to investigators.
Waterfield was charged in July of 2023 with reckless driving resulting in the injury or death of vulnerable road users, a misdemeanor, as well as involuntary manslaughter. Her trial began Thursday, March 28th.
Today, March 29th, an Accomack County jury found Waterfield innocent of involuntary manslaughter, which carries a maximum of 10 years in Virginia. The jury did, however, find Waterfield guilty of reckless driving that results in injury or death, a misdemeanor that carries up to a year in prison and/or up to a $2,500 fine according to Virginia code. Waterfield can also have her license suspended up to six months.
A sentencing date for the misdemeanor has not yet been scheduled, according to Accomack County court records.