Court asked to pay for traffic accident expert in fatal car crash case

Posted on Jan 29, 2010

The Culpeper County Commonwealth’s Attorney is asking for money to pay for an expert witness to testify against a drowsy driver in a fatal car crash that happened last year.

Attorney Gary Close has petitioned the Circuit Court for $15,000 to pay for Dr. William Christopher Winter of Charlottesville. Dr. Winter is, according to Close, a sleep-deprivation expert and has worked with professional sports teams on sleep issues. Close would like Dr. Winter to testify about the defendant’s physical condition the night of the fatal crash.

The defendant in this case, Eugene T. Greene, has been charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, wounding in the commission of a felony, and misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and operating an uninsured vehicle for his role in the collision that killed four people and injured another. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is currently free on $20,000 bond.

An investigation by the Virginia State Police revealed that Greene had been awake for 20 hours when the crash happened, having only had six or seven hours of sleep in the previous 48 hours. The commonwealth’s attorney believes that Greene was in no condition to be driving.

Court documents state that Greene did not know which lane he was driving in when the accident occurred, and he did not apply the brakes and was traveling at 55 miles per hour with the cruise control engaged when he crashed.

If Close’s request for $15,000 to pay the sleep expert is denied or if he does not get enough money, he intends to return to the Board of Supervisors in February. The trial in this case is set to take place May 4^th.