Vienna Man Dies After Bid to Stop Verizon Van

Unhappy Customer, 79, Grabbed Wheel, Fell in Driveway

A 79-year-old Vienna man who was fed up with his Verizon service died after trying to stop a technician's van from pulling out of his driveway.

The man, identified by neighbors as William Cornelius, fell after grabbing the steering wheel of the van late Wednesday afternoon and died hours later at a hospital, police said.

Neighbors described Cornelius as a former railroad executive who was painfully lonely after his wife died about a year and a half ago.

According to Vienna police, the Verizon technician told Cornelius that he had finished working on Cornelius's service and began to leave the home, in the 500 block of Ayr Hill Avenue NE.

Cornelius was upset and followed the technician to his van. Cornelius "continued to express his dissatisfaction and tried to block the technician's van from leaving his driveway," said Vienna police spokesman Bill Murray.

The technician got inside his van. Cornelius moved out of the way, and the technician began to drive away, according to police.

That was when Cornelius "reached in through the van window and grabbed the steering wheel," Murray said. Cornelius fell to the ground. He was taken to a hospital, where he died.

Murray said police are waiting for the medical examiner to determine whether the fall or something else killed Cornelius.

Verizon spokesman Harry Mitchell called the incident "a tragic accident" and said the company is cooperating with police.

Neighbors were shocked to hear how Cornelius died. "Holy cow," said Adam Strawn, 28. "That's ridiculous."

Neighbor Marti Wright said that Cornelius had lived in the home for more than 20 years and that his wife had died from a stroke. Since her death, Wright and other neighbors would often cook him dinner and chip in to hire someone to clean his home.

"He was a very, very nice older gentleman," Wright said. "He has been very lonely, extremely lonely. We've all been taking care of him in the neighborhood."