A 68-year-old Fredericksburg man was found guilty today (Tuesday) of reckless driving for causing a five-vehicle crash that killed a 69-year-old Massachusetts woman on Interstate 495 in Alexandria on Nov. 5, 2024.
In a two-day bench trial, Circuit Court Judge Katie Uston found Lee Allen MacKall guilty of reckless driving, and sentenced him to a year in prison, all suspended on the condition of his uniform good behavior. MacKall tearfully apologized to the family and friends of the victim, Lauren Johnson-Lavender, who died at the scene.
“I’m truly sorry,” MacKall told the court. “This was nothing malicious on my part. It was an accident.”
Uston said that MacKall didn’t try to slow down when he crashed his Dodge Ram into Johnson-Lavender’s Lexus SUV at 70 miles per hour. The Lexus was at the end of a line of standstill traffic, and the Ram then went airborne and hit a Ford F-150, a GMC Savana and a Nissan Rogue. Three people, including MacKall, went to the hospital.
MacKall testified that he gave $47,000 from his 401K, along with insurance, in a settlement to Johnson-Lavender’s family.
Uston said MacKall seemed remorseful, and there was no hiding that he’s a “good guy.”
“It was a terrible tragedy, there’s no question about that,” Uston said. “It’s clear that you’re just so sorry that it happened.”
MacKall said that his mother died before the crash, and he was driving from a funeral home and thinking about her when he crashed.
Antwoine L. Coleman Jr., a senior assistant commonwealth attorney, prosecuted the case. Carlos Wall represented MacKall.
