County man killed in crash

By JEFFREY SIMMONS/Staff

A Bland County man was one of 16 people killed in Virginia traffic fatalities during the Thanksgiving holiday, police said.
According to Sgt. M.T. Conroy, Cecil Willard Nelson III, 44, of Bland died Sunday evening after being ejected from his vehicle on Virginia 42.
Operating a 1990 Oldsmobile, Nelson ran off the right side of the road and struck a curb before his vehicle overturned and ejected him, Conroy said.
The wreck happened at approximately 6:05 p.m. about four-tenths of a mile east of Walkers Creek Road.
Conroy’s report didn’t say whether Nelson was alone in the vehicle or in which direction he was traveling.
Trooper P.J. Deel is investigating the crash.
Nelson’s funeral services will be held today in Bland. With a nickname of “Tom Thumb,” Nelson liked to bear hunt and considered his “granny” his best friend, according to a friend.
“He was just a good friend to everybody that knew him,” the friend said.
According to a state police press release, 16 people also died last year during the Thanksgiving holiday period, which started Wednesday, Nov. 21, and ended at midnight on Sunday, Nov. 25.
This year’s fatalities took place in Buckingham, Goochland, Amherst, Augusta, Bland, Charles City, Fairfax, Fauquier, Fluvanna, Lee, Lunenburg and Sussex counties, and the city of Chesapeake, the release said.
“At 924 traffic deaths statewide as of today, Virginia is only a matter of weeks away from potentially reaching 1,000 by the end of the year,” said Col. W. Steven Flaherty, VSP superintendent, in the release. “Every day people get behind the wheel of a vehicle and yet few realize that they are taking their own lives, their passengers’ and other motorists’ lives into their own hands. State police cannot emphasize enough the importance of putting safety first and preventing one’s self from becoming Virginia’s next traffic fatality.”
With stepped-up patrols during the weekend, troopers made arrests or issued summonses for the following offenses: 11,869 for speeding; 2,918 for reckless driving; 159 for driving under the influence; 918 for not wearing safety belts; 222 for not using child restraints; and 5,736 for other hazardous violations.
Jeffrey Simmons can be reached at 1-800-655-1406 or .