By FRANK DELANO
A Northumberland County sheriff's deputy and another man were killed early Sunday when their cars collided and burned on a two-lane curve of U.S. 360 between Heathsville and Burgess.
According to state police, John W. Sanford Jr., a part-time deputy since 1994, was responding to a fight-in-progress call at Callao when the accident occurred at 12:03 a.m.
Sanford's 1999 Crown Victoria was behind another deputy's car. Both vehicles had their lights and sirens on.
State Police Sgt. Jim Ashworth said the first deputy met a 1992 Dodge Dynasty "and had to swerve off on the shoulder to keep from getting hit."
"The first deputy radioed back to Sanford a couple of times to warn him about the oncoming vehicle, but got no response. He turned around and found that both vehicles had collided," Ashworth said.
The deputy pulled Sanford, 50, from his car, but was unable to extract the other driver, Ashworth said. Both drivers died at the scene.
Crash investigators estimated that both cars were traveling around 80 mph when they collided, Ashworth said.
He said yesterday that the state medical examiner had not positively identified the Dodge driver, who was burned beyond recognition. State police believe he may have been an 89-year-old Heathsville man, Ashworth said.
Sanford's funeral arrangements remained incomplete yesterday, said Laura Sampson of Currie Funeral Home in Kilmarnock.
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