Co-workers mourn crash victim in Pittsylvania County

By SUSAN ELZEY, Danville Register & Bee
Published: February 5, 2008

A Gretna woman killed in a car accident Sunday morning is being remembered by her co-workers as someone who really loved life.

Tiffany Chaney, 22, was killed when the vehicle her husband, Carroll Chaney Jr., 30, was driving was clipped in the rear by a van that failed to stop at a stop sign, according to Virginia State Police Sgt. M.C. Davis.

The 2000 Ford Explorer flipped into a ditch, ejecting Tiffany Chaney, who was not wearing a seatbelt.

Jennifer Vaughan, the customer service manager at Gretna’s Food Lion, said Monday that Tiffany had worked at the grocery store for a little more than a year.

Vaughan and other Food Lion employees who knew Tiffany prepared a statement about their feelings:

“Tiffany really seemed to love life and was always helping other people. Tiffany truly loved her job. She was always so full of life and always had a smile on her face. All of us here at Food Lion really loved her, and she will be missed terribly.”

Tiffany worked as a frozen food clerk and on the front end as cashier, or doing whatever she was needed to do, Vaughan said.

The manager said she received the phone call about Tiffany’s death on Sunday.

“We have all been trying to pull together,” Vaughan said. “We are a Food Lion family, and we have been leaning on each other.”

The accident happened at Climax Road and Route 40 at about 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Virginia State Police Sgt. Robert Carpentieri said.

Carroll Chaney was flown to Lynchburg General Hospital with a non-life-threatening head injury, Davis said.

Julio Alicea, 41, of Orlando, Fla., has been charged with failure to stop before entering the roadway, which is reckless driving, police said.

He and the seven prisoners were taken to Danville Regional Medical Center and have since been released, police said.

WSLS 10 reporter Aimee Norton contributed to this report.

Contact Susan Elzey at or (434) 791-7991.