A 22-year-old man from Independence, Missouri, is facing criminal charges for causing the death of a father of five children, two of whom are six years old. The driver, according to police, was already on probation because he kept driving despite having a revoked license. They say he did it again in the incident leading up to the accident, zooming through a red light before plowing into a vehicle the father had borrowed to take a friend to the store. Two passengers were seriously injured in the crash.
The car accident occurred in Kansas City, Missouri, and second-degree murder charges have been filed, with involuntary manslaughter as an alternative. Police claimed that the charged motorist was fleeing from them at the time of the crash, which was located at Hardesty Avenue and 23rd Street. He is accused of resisting a lawful stop, another felony offense.
Police say that they were chasing the driver’s car because it was speeding and observed it come close to hitting another vehicle. The chase that ensued is said to have reached speeds of over 100 miles an hour, with the vehicle swerving in and out of lanes of traffic, endangering others. Even when an officer stopped his pursuit, the Saab sped on, and the impact of the collision that occurred after it went through the red light was so strong that the driver’s side door went some 18 inches into the vehicle.
Police say the motorist then ran away from the scene of the crash, with outraged bystanders in pursuit. The father died on the spot, leaving five children fatherless. A 35-year-old female passenger remains in critical condition, and a 17-year-old female passenger is in serious condition.
It is unconscionable that reckless, unlicensed speeding drivers can wreak such havoc on innocent people and families. Similar accidents demand nothing less than rigorous prosecution, as well as civil action by the victims and their families for compensation for their losses.
Source: The Kansas City Star, “Driver charged for causing fatal crash in KC while fleeing police” Tony Rizzo, Jan. 14, 2014