Virginia State Police reports that they have charged Steven A. Rose, 45, of Amissville, Va., with one felony count of DUI involuntary manslaughter and one felony count of DUI maiming in connection with the fatal crash that occurred on Oct. 4, 2023, in Culpeper County.

On Tuesday (Oct. 17), Rose was taken into custody at his residence without incident and transported to the Culpeper County Jail, where he is being held without bond.  

Virginia State Police are investigating a five-vehicle fatal crash in Culpeper County. The crash occurred Wednesday (Oct. 4), at 6:08 p.m. at the intersection of Route 211 (Lee Hwy) and Route 229 (Rixeyville Rd).  

A 2007 BWM X3, a 2017 Ford Fusion, a 2022 Toyota 4-Runner, and a 2001 Lexus ES were traveling westbound on Route 211 when they all stopped at a red light. A 2013 Dodge Durango that was also traveling westbound could not stop in time and collided with the BMW, which set off a chain reaction crash involving all five vehicles.  

The driver of the Dodge, Steven A. Rose, 45, of Amissville, Va., suffered life-threatening injuries and was flown to INOVA Fairfax Hospital for treatment. He was not wearing a seatbelt.    

A passenger in the Dodge, Andrea T. Bragg, 29, of Amissville, Va., suffered life-threatening injuries and was flown to INOVA Fairfax Hospital for treatment. She was wearing a seatbelt.  

The driver of the BMW, Diane F. Mederos, 61, of Amissville, Va., died at the crash scene due to her injuries. She was wearing a seatbelt.  

The Ford driver, Jacob J. Wickline, 23, of Amissville, Va., and a passenger, Cody W. Wickline, 18, of Bealeton, VA, both suffered minor injuries and were transported to Fauquier Health for treatment. Both were wearing seatbelts.  

The driver of the Toyota, Heather L. Appleton, 53, of Amissville, Va., was not injured in the crash. She was wearing a seatbelt.  

The driver of the Lexus, Charles G. Delvecchio, 58, of Amissville, Va., was not injured in the crash. He was wearing a seatbelt.  

Alcohol and speed are considered factors in the crash.  

Charges are pending as the crash remains under investigation with consultation with the Commonwealth’s Attorney Office.   

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It is with heavy and broken hearts that we as the Mederos family are in need of any support our community and loved ones could offer in these absolutely tragic times that we as a family are dealing with right now. A living nightmare

October 4th, 2023, began like any other day in all of our homes. The same routines, the same conversations, the same jobs, the same drives… until we heard of a devastating wreck that had happened on the intersection of Highway 211 and 229 in Culpeper County, and in that moment, we all experienced the same gut-wrenching realization, no one had heard from Mom. No one had heard from the woman who couldn’t go more than a few moments without calling one of us or texting us. She wasn’t answering her phone when she’d normally answer on the first ring when anyone in her family needed her. The panic dropped our hearts into our stomachs as we dropped everything and sped to the scene of the accident, and there it was, her car. Completely destroyed and unrecognizable due to the reckless, thoughtless, idiotic decision of someone else when they decided driving nearly double the speed limit was more important than her life or anybody else’s. This terrible tragedy has destroyed the normality of our lives and has taken away our mom, the most amazing woman you’d ever meet. She would light up any room, she would put others before her self. She was the most pure and beautiful person any of us will ever know and that was our mom, a wife, a twin sister, and an awesome “Oma” and the light of any room she walked into.

Diane was the primary caretaker of the home and had just ensured her husband that he was safe to retire and that she would hold down the home because she loved to work and she insisted that providing for her family, loving her family, and being there for her family is what made her feel alive and gave her purpose so she would never retire until we forced her to. Someone else made that decision for her and for us when they took her life.

We always told her that we couldn’t believe how strong she was and how much she did for our family, that she was the perfect “Mom-ager” because she made sure that we were always prepared for anything, she took care of getting together everyone’s doctors appointments, she took care of ensuring all of the bills around the house were taken care of when they need to be, she provided health, dental, and vision insurance for herself, her husband Pedro, and her youngest daughter Michelle, and through doing all of this she smiled and laughed and loved every moment of doing what she did and we all loved and admired everything that she was.

We are beginning this fundraiser to assist with easing the fear and the anxiety behind all of the expenses and financial burdens that come with losing a loved one so that we can focus on knowing that she has somewhere to eternally rest in peace while she makes the journey of Forever with our Lord in Heaven where we know she is with us with her love, guidance, and protection.