Sheriff's Captain Injured After Being Struck by Vehicle; Driver Charged

The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office reports that Captain Brian Courneya was traveling east on Route 7, between Route 9 and the Leesburg town limits, when around 5:20 a.m. this morning when his county issued vehicle was struck on its side by a deer. Courneya activated his emergency equipment and pulled his vehicle over to the side of the roadway. After he exited his vehicle, carrying a flashlight, he walked the median of the roadway and attempted to locate the deer to ensure it was not injured or in the roadway.

As the Sheriff's Captain was walking along the median an oncoming 1999 Jeep Cherokee, traveling in the right hand lane, came upon slow moving traffic and swerved left to avoid a rear-end collision. The vehicle crossed the left lane and struck Courneya.

The driver of the Jeep, Craig H. Trout, 62, of Lovettsville, Va., was charged with reckless driving (failure to maintain control).

Courneya was taken to the Cornwall Campus of Inova Loudoun Hospital where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries. He is a 22-year veteran of the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office and is a member of the Field Operations Division. He is currently the commander of the Central Loudoun Sheriff's Station.