A 22-year-old woman died early Friday when the car she was driving left the road, struck a utility pole and caught fire, the V.I. Police Department said.
Emergency medical technicians said Janesssa Armstrong showed no vital signs at the scene of the accident, which occurred just before 1 a.m. on the Queen Mary Highway, just east of the Whim Museum.
Armstrong was a University of Virgin Islands student, interning at the V.I. Elections Office. She was also a police cadet for three years and an employee of the VIPD’s Weed and Seed program.
Police said Armstrong was driving a 2006 Toyota Corolla when she hit a utility pole and trees off the shoulder of the eastbound lane. The vehicle caught fire after the impact.
Two good Samaritans pulled Armstrong’s body from the car, which was still on fire when emergency personnel arrived, according to the report.
No one else was in the vehicle and no other person or property was damaged.
The estimated speed and the cause of the accident and fire were not reported. Officers from the Traffic Enforcement Bureau continue to investigate this case.
Members of the VIPD Crime Prevention Unit and the St. Croix police cadets expressed their condolences when they heard of the Armstrong’s death.
Police officer Samuel Gittens, who mentors the police cadets, said Armstrong was a “cheerful and loving young lady” who had a “desire to leave a positive mark wherever she went.”
Gittens said the entire V.I. Police Department and especially the police cadet program extends sympathies to Armstrong’s family, friends and loved ones.
Members of the St. Croix District Election Board and employees of the Elections System also expressed condolences.
“She was a brilliant and talented young lady,” according to Adelbert Bryan, chairman of the St. Croix District Elections Board.
Genevieve Whitaker, the St. Croix deputy supervisor, said "She brought joy to this office, and her smile and dedication to her work will always be remembered.”
