UPDATE: Gerrardstown woman identified as victim in New Years Day I-81 crash
MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — A Gerrardstown woman has been identified as the victim of a DUI crash on New Years Day in Berkeley County.
60 year-old Lisa Brooks was killed after her vehicle was struck by Cody Braithwaite, 32 of Winchester.
Berkeley County Sheriff Curtis Keller confirms Braithwaite faces charges of DUI with death, fleeing DUI, prohibited person with a firearm and fugitive from justice.
Sheriff Keller said dispatchers received numerous calls shortly after midnight about a reckless driver near the 16 mile marker southbound near Martinsburg.
A deputy caught up with the car and attempted to stop it. Braithwaite allegedly struck Brooks’ car, throwing it into a guardrail near the King Street overpass at mile marker 13.
Brooks was pronounced dead at the scene.
Braithwaite allegedly kept fleeing southbound until deputies were able to stop him at mile marker 8. One of the deputy’s cruisers was struck while attempting to make the traffic stop.
West Virginia State Police responded to a separate crash on Sulphur Springs Road New Years Eve that killed a Musselman High School senior.
Both incidents remain under investigation.