The Accident

Earthbound Misfit I

Justice for Kimberly Shawn Cheatham
Joined
Sep 30, 2005
Messages
3,685
Reaction score
387
I have read a few different scenarios on where the accident occurred and would like an explanation if anyone has one on exactly where the accident happened..what direction were they heading, what road were they traveling, etc.. Thank you for any insight into this. I am getting very confused trying to get a handle on it all :waitasec:
 
I have read several times it was on US-58W, couple miles west of Emporia. Assuming reports are correct and Hager fell asleep, how did he fall asleep within 2 miles of Emporia if he came down I95 and just got on US-58W at Emporia. He was awake enough to take that exit. Not sure it matters, but I suspect after leaving his father's house in Glouchester he didn't 'back track' to I95. I know I wouldn't. I would feel like I was heading away from my destination.

I suspect he came down US-17S and got on US-58W around Suffolk, VA. That would have put him on US-58W for about 50 miles before the crash.

Even though it a little longer, that is the way I would have gone. Don't like 'back tracking', just doesn't seem right. Again, if he picked up our hitchhiker before visiting his dads, it really doesn't matter.

Knowing Jason had ticket stubs to the show at RFK, its probably a sure thing he was picked up before the visit to dads, so the route probably doesn't matter. oh well.
 
Thanks NCSleuth, it does appear that the route you suggest makes sense. It also appears that because of this route we have no freaking idea where in the world Jason was going.
 
I just want to add a few things here.

The last concert at RFK Stadium was on Sunday, June 25, 1995 and I'm not sure what time the show would have ended

Eric had an early breakfast with his girlfriend at about 7:30AM on Monday June 26, 1995 and then left for his father's home and arrived there around 10:30AM, I believe.

Where did Jason stay Sunday evening? Did he spend the night somewhere that night or did he start hitching after the show got out? Did he make it further out than is to believed?

Are we certain he was picked up Fairfax and Gloucester? I know that the neighbor of the father's said that they seen Eric with someone that day, did the neighbor describe that person to anyone? It would be interesting if the neighbor could have given a description to a sketch artist or was it just a fleeting glance at this person they thought was Jason, or was there actually anyone with Eric and the neighbor was mistaken?

Just some thoughts I'm having at this time...

 
According to identifyus.org, the accident occured
Rt. 58/West - 0.3 miles east of Rt 605
 
We currently live in the Hampton Roads area of VA, but frequently take this route to where our family lives in NC. We travel on 58 A LOT. Would you want me to stop and take pictures of this area? Would that help you all any?
 
Does anyone have links to news stories about the accident? What kind of van were they in, etc? How bad was the accident? How bad were the bodies? I ask because I travel 58 a lot and the speed limit is 55. Lots of people don't really speed on that high way, especially in Emporia, because the troopers/police are very prevelant..it's just something you don't do unless you want a hefty ticket. Any other info about this?
 
I found this on Lexis Nexis. It's the only news article on there (that I could find) about this topic.

July 7, 1996, SUNDAY, METRO EDITION

HITCHER STILL UNIDENTIFIED AFTER A YEAR

BYLINE: BILL BASKERVILL ASSOCIATED PRESS

SECTION: VIRGINIA, Pg. B1

LENGTH: 576 words

DATELINE: EMPORIA

THE UNKNOWN MAN died in a traffic accident, with only concert ticket stubs and a letter in his pockets.

A year after his death, a young man who had a star tattooed on his arm, Grateful Dead concert ticket stubs in his pocket and a letter from two Carolines lies unidentified on a mortuary's cold slab.

He was in his 20s and - except for a letter - carried no identification on June 26, 1995, when the Volkswagen van in which he was riding rammed two large loblolly pines along U.S. 58 three miles west of Emporia.


In the pockets of his Levi's 505 jeans were the ticket stubs, four quarters, a yellow cigarette lighter and this note: ''To Jason, Sorry we had to go. See you around. Caroline O. and Caroline T.''

Jason - if that is his name - waits for someone to claim his remains from the state medical examiner's office in Richmond.

''I would like to find out who he is and close it out,'' said state Trooper T.E. Jones, who is frustrated by the lack of leads on the man's identity.

Jones said the driver of the van, Michael Eric Hager, 21, of Inman, S.C., apparently fell asleep. Hager, a student at the University of South Carolina, and his lone passenger were flung through the windshield and into the trees, Jones said. Both died instantly of massive head injuries.

The trooper believes the passenger had attended a Grateful Dead concert in Washington's RFK Stadium the weekend before the Monday accident.

Jones said Hager left his girlfriend's Fairfax County home about 7:45 a.m. on the day of the crash and picked up the hitchhiker later. Hager drove to his father's house in Gloucester County, where neighbors told the trooper they remembered seeing another man with Hager. The two left Gloucester County about noon, according to a message Hager left for his father. That would have put them at the accident scene about 1:30 p.m., the trooper said.

Hager was en route to his mother's home in Inman. Where the hitchhiker was headed is not known. Evidently, he was not following the Grateful Dead tour because the band's next date was in the Midwest, and Hager was headed south, Jones noted.

The hitchhiker was wearing a Grateful Dead Summer Tour 1995 T-shirt, light blue denim jeans, blue FILA athletic shoes, white athletic socks and macrame and bead necklaces. He was white, 5 feet 8 inches tall, 169 pounds. He had shoulder-length brown hair and brown eyes.

A crudely drawn star tattoo was on his upper left arm. His left earlobe was pierced, but there was no earring.

Jones has run the hitchhiker's fingerprints through the FBI database and sent his description to every police agency in the country to no avail.

The next step is to check the fingerprints with the Secret Service, which the trooper said has a larger database than the FBI.

Gladys Culp of Salisbury, N.C., took up Jason's cause by shopping the story to news organizations. She has mailed journalists copies of a Virginia State Police sketch of the man and a summary of the case.

''I just felt bad there would be somebody that young out there,'' said Culp, who has sons ages 17, 18 and 21. ''Maybe he has a family searching for him.''

Robert Holloway, administrator of the state medical examiner's office, said it is unusual for a body to remain unidentified for this long. The state will hold the body indefinitely, he said.

Those with information about the hitchhiker should call Virginia State Trooper T.E. Jones at (804)634-4454 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting**************(804)634-4454******end_of_the_skype_highlighting
 
Has anyone checked if there was another student missing or possibly a resident of the town at the university of sc where the driver was attending?

Michael Eric Hager, 21, of Inman, S.C., apparently fell asleep. Hager, a student at the University of South Carolina

This has probably been checked on but maybe because he was a university student or town resident his parents (hager's) wouldn't have known who he was????????
I remeber from attending colleges the boards always had want ads for sharing rides......
 
Heres a really old article I found, but it has more details about the case....

Hitchhiker Killed In '95 Crash Still Unidentified
The Washington Times
Sunday, July 7, 1996
By Bill Baskervill, Associated Press

Emporia, VA -- A year after his death, a young man with a star tattooed on his arm, Grateful Dead concert ticket stubs in his pocket and a letter from two Carolines lies unidentified on a cold mortuary slab.

He was in his 20's -- and except for the letter -- carried no identification on June 26, 1995 when the Volkswagen van in which he was riding rammed two large loblolly pines along Route 58 three miles west of Emporia.

In the pockets of his Levi's 505 jeans were the ticket stubs, four quarters, a yellow cigarette lighter and this note: "To Jason, Sorry we had to go. See you around. Caroline O. and Caroline T."

Jason - if that is his name - waits for someone to claim his remains from the state Medical Examiner's Office in Richmond.

"I would like to find out who he is and close it out," said State Police Trooper T. E. Jones who is frustrated by the leads on the man's identity.

Trooper Jones said the driver of the van, Michael Eric Hager, 21, of Inman, SC, aparently fell asleep. Mr. Hager, a student at the University of South Carolina, and his lone passenger were flung through the windshield and into the trees, Trooper Jones said. Both died of massive head injuries.

The Trooper believes the passenger had attended a Grateful Dead concert in Washington's RFK Stadium the weekend before the Monday accident.

He said Mr. Hager left his girlfriend's Fairfax County home around 7:45 a.m. on the day of the crash and picked up the hitchhiker later. Mr. Hager drove to his father's house in Gloucester County, where neighbors told the trooper they remembered seeing another man with Mr. Hager. The two left Gloucester County about noon, according to the message Mr. Hager left for his father. That would have put them at the accicent scene about 1:30 p.m., the trooper said.

Mr. Hager was enroute to his mother's home in Inman. Where the hitchhiker was headed is not known. Evidently, he was not following the Grateful Dead tour because the band's next date was in the Midwest and Mr. Hager was headed south, Trooper Jones noted.

The hitchhiker was wearing a Gratreful Dead Summer Tour 1995 T-shirt, light blue denim jeans, blue Fila athletic shoes, white athletic socks and macrame and bead necklaces. He was white, 5 teet 8 inches tall, 169 pounds. He had shoulder-length brown hair and brown eyes.

A crudely drawn star tattoo was on his upper left arm. His left earlobe was pierced, but there was no earring.

Trooper Jones has run the hitchhiker's fingerprints through the FBI database and sent his description to every police agency in the country to no avail. He found the man who sold the two Grateful Dead tickets, but to someone other than the hitchhiker. The tickets, for seats in separate sections of RFK Stadium, could have changed hands many times before the hitchhiker got them.

The next step is to check the fingerprints with the Secret Service, which has a larger database than the FBI, the trooper said.

Gladys Culp of Salisbury, NC took up Jason's cause by shopping the story to news organizations. She has mailed journalists copies of a Virginia State Police sketch of the man and a summary of the case.

"I just felt bad there would be somebody that young out there," said Mrs. Culp, who has sons ages 17, 18, and 21. "Maybe he has a family searching for him."

Robert Holloway, administrator of the state Medical Examiner's Office, said it is unusual for a body to remain unidentified for as long as the hitchhiker's. The state will hold the body indefinitely, he said.

Authorities urge anyone with information about the hitchhiker to call Virginia State Police Trooper Jones at 804-634-4454
 
I haven't reviewed the facts of this case in a while, despite it being one of the ones that brought me here. How do they know for sure that this fellow was a hitchhiker, since no one seems to have spoken to either of them after they started their journey?
 
They assume he was because no one in Michael's family or any of his friends knew "Jason".
 
I hate to speak ill of the dead, but has anyone thought that maybe they were buying/selling recreational drugs?
 
I hate to speak ill of the dead, but has anyone thought that maybe they were buying/selling recreational drugs?

Could have been, but doubt it since their were non found in the van/ or on his person. And nothing in his system. Ofcourse they could have been tripping on LSD, since that will only show up on a spinal tap, no one would have known. But really that doesnt even matter, I just want to ID him. I was a deadhead myself and did plenty of partaking in those type of activities myself, so Im not judging anyone, and I dont think thats speaking ill of the dead at all. The government says drugs are bad, God didnt say that!
 

Members online

Online statistics

Members online
74
Guests online
2,417
Total visitors
2,491

Forum statistics

Threads
590,011
Messages
17,928,944
Members
228,038
Latest member
shmoozie
Back
Top