Dallas driver could be indicted for homicide in girls’ deaths
Dallas police are considering whether a grand jury should review a fatal car accident that killed two children and injured five of their relatives. The family members were occupants of a Chevrolet Cavalier that had run out of gas and was parked in the right lane of Interstate 35-E.
The car accident near Ann Arbor Avenue occurred around 9 p.m. when a Lincoln Town Car, accelerating to access the highway, rear-ended the Chevy. The Lincoln driver reported that the dark-colored, disabled Chevy was stopped in traffic with no visible hazard lights. The Lincoln operator said he saw the Cavalier at the last moment and unsuccessfully tried to swerve to avoid hitting it. The Chevy spun into a utility pole.
Investigators released none of the names of the accident victims other than the two children who died in the crash. The victims were young girls who had been in the Chevrolet’s back seat, ages 1 and 4. Dallas investigators said neither child had been in a car seat or restrained by a seat belt at the time of the collision. The relative of a volunteer firefighter at the scene said only one of the four children had been in a car seat.
Seven people were hurt in the accident, all relatives traveling in the same vehicle. Emergency crews transported the victims to Methodist Dallas Medical Center, Parkland Hospital and Children’s Medical Center. Three adults and two children, including one six-month-old, survived. Their names and medical conditions were not reported.
Investigators eliminated the possibilities that the accident was caused by drunk driving or speeding. Authorities are trying to determine how the injured family members are related and why the Chevrolet driver failed to use emergency flashers or pull off to the side of the highway.
Police said the driver of the Cavalier was 22-years-old and may face criminal charges of negligent homicide. A referral to a grand jury is pending the outcome of the ongoing accident investigation.
Source: dfw.cbslocal.com, “2 Children Dead After Major Car Crash In Dallas,” Stephanie Lucero, April 18, 2012