Ruckersville man pleads in VA 151 accident

By Erin McGrath

Published: May 15, 2008

A Ruckersville man who fell asleep at the wheel has pleaded guilty to reckless driving and has been sentenced to serve three months in jail for a car accident that killed a mother and her two daughters along Virginia 151 last August.

Shawn Andrew Lloyd, 27, entered the pleas on May 7 in Nelson County Circuit Court. He received a 12-month sentence, with nine months suspended, was fined $1,000, and must pay court costs.

“There is nothing I really can say but I am sorry for what happened,” Lloyd said.

Lloyd said he fell asleep while driving a box truck on his way to a job on Aug. 30 along Virginia 151.

Laura Cavedo and her daughters, Elschen and Iliana Strickler, were waiting to make a left-hand turn off of Virginia 151 near Afton when Lloyd’s vehicle struck theirs, sending them into oncoming traffic.

Cavedo was flown to UVA Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead. Her daughters were pronounced dead at the scene.

Lloyd’s attorney, Scott Goodman, said the investigation into the accident by law enforcement was very thourough.

He said Lloyd’s speed when the accident occurred was under the speed limit, no drugs or alcohol were involved and a later examination of Lloyd’s vehicle found “numerous problems” with the brakes.

“He awakened in time, but not in control of the vehicle,” Goodman said. “It’s just a horrible thing.”

Commonwealth attorney Phil Payne said this was a difficult case for him to categorize properly because three people were killed. He said he had thought about the case for months.

“There’s no way to adequately punish,” Payne said. “I don’t have a magic wand and I don’t know what would be appropriate.”

Lloyd will begin his jail time on May 16.