Three people were killed and four others injured after a single-car crash on Route 55 in Warren County, according to Virginia State Police.
The crash happened Sunday around 2 p.m. when the driver of an SUV carrying seven family members ran off the road and struck a tree. Edward Nichols III, 64, of Purcellville, his wife, 63-year-old Karen Nichols, and 90-year-old Doris Degram Louer were all killed.
Three other passengers and the driver, Robert F. Louer of Green Cove Springs, Fla., were injured and taken to local hospitals. Their conditions are unknown.
Nichols, known to friends as “Ted,” was the third-generation owner of Nichols Hardware in Purcellville, according to the Washington Post. Nichols Hardware was founded 100 years ago.
The Post reports that a film crew began working on a documentary last year called “Nichols: The Last Hardware Store." The store was closed on Monday. Nichols’s uncle told the Post that he was not sure when the store would re-open.
Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said in a statement that everyone in the vehicle was wearing seat belts and that alcohol was not a factor. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
