Chatham Woman Killed in Crash Involving Prison Inmates.

By Aimee Norton

Published: February 4, 2008

Police say a van carrying seven inmates didn’t stop at the intersection of Climax Road and Route 40. It hit the back end of a Ford Explorer. The truck rolled into a ditch along Route 40.

Police tell us Tiffany Chaney, 22, was thrown from the vehicle and died. Her husband, Carroll Chaney, Jr., 30, was flown to Lynchburg with a slight head injury. Investigators say neither of them was wearing a seat belt.

“These are accidents we see that are senseless fatals. They’re survivable crashes and the seat belt makes the difference in these crashes,” Sgt. M.C. Davis.

“Looked like they were in love with each other. Just mighty nice people. Everybody in the community liked them,” said Joe Osborne. He owns Blairs Grocery where Tiffany would often stop with her husband. Osborne was working when he heard the crash right outside his store.

“It was a terrible mess, terrible mess. I’ve never seen so many people come so quick,” he said.

Because this accident involved seven inmates, extra law enforcement had to be brought in, not only for extra security here, but also when they were taken to the hospital in Danville.

“I had at least six troopers out there and the Sheriff’s Department had more than that because you know we have to provide security,” Sgt. Davis said.

According to Davis, the inmates had no sign of injuries. At the Gretna Food Lion where Tiffany worked, there is a tribute from her co-workers, who remember her as enthusiastic and full of life.

“I know a lot of people are having a hard time with this because she was just a such a great person, a friend,” said Store Manager, Derek Rowlend.

The driver of the van, Julio Alicea, 41, is charged with reckless driving. He was driving the van from the Green Rock Correctional Center in Chatham to a jail in Beaver, West Virginia. The van is registered to Brevard Extraditions, Inc. in Melbourne, Florida. Alicea is from Orlando.