A suspected drunk driver who was taken into custody at the scene of a car crash in Memphis on the morning of Dec. 15 and released after posting $50,000 bond was back in jail by nightfall on Dec. 16. He now faces vehicular homicide charges after a 13-year-old boy who was a passenger in the car that he hit died. The 27-year-old Hickory Hill man also faces two counts of vehicular assault for serious injuries suffered by the young accident victim’s cousins who were in the front seat of the car.
The crash happened as the boy and two of his cousins were driving home from a family birthday party on Dec. 15. Their car was traveling on Hacks Cross Road north of Meadowville in Memphis, just minutes away from home, when it was struck by another vehicle that police say was driven by a drunk driver. The suspected drunk driver was immediately taken into custody on DUI and reckless driving charges. However, he bonded out and was released from jail the following morning.
After the young accident victim died, Shelby County Sheriff Office investigators went to the suspect’s house to serve an arrest warrant for the three additional felony charges. However, no one came to the door. The man turned himself in later in the evening after investigators reached him by phone.
Family members of the teenager killed in the crash say he was a bright student with an unlimited future who loved his church and his family. They say that, through their grief, they want to use this tragedy to raise awareness about the dangers of drinking and driving.
The losses suffered by the loved ones of a person who is killed in a fatal accident may be overwhelming. An attorney might be able to help identify all recoverable losses and initiate and pursue a civil wrongful death claim.
Source: LocalMemphis.com, “Driver Re-Arrested After Teen Dies In DUI Wreck”, Eli Ross, December 16, 2013
