One of the hardest circumstances facing parents is to bury their children. But the grief must be unimaginable for those parents who, due to their alleged negligence, caused the death of their child.
However, one 49-year-old Raleigh woman will be facing just that reality if she survives the injuries she suffered in the fatal crash that claimed her 12-year-old son’s life.
According to police, the woman was traveling recently on Creedmoor Road at a high rate of speed when her Chevy Suburban left the roadway, struck a street sign and several trees and then rolled over. The crash site was between Sawmill Road and Lynn Road, only a short distance south of the woman’s Wellsley Way home.
The child was wearing his seat belt and was riding in the back seat of the SUV. A caller to 911 who reported the accident claimed that the woman was driving “very erratically” and that her vehicle wound up “crushed” in a ravine. The driver was also belted in for the ride.
Her son died there at the accident scene, while the woman remains hospitalized at WakeMed in serious condition.
According to investigators, her blood alcohol content at the time of the accident was four times over the legal limit at .32. She was charged her with one count of misdemeanor death by motor vehicle and also exceeding a safe speed. However, according to a police spokesperson, she will soon face additional charges.
It is estimated by authorities that the driver was speeding at 74 mph at the time of the crash. The accident report indicates that the posted speed limit on the road was only 45 mph.
While the woman will have to live out her life knowing that she caused the death of her child, the criminal penalties she faces likely include a long prison stint if she is convicted. In serious cases where a death occurs as a result of a drunk driving crash, seeking legal counsel is always a good move.
Source: News & Observer, “Raleigh mother charged in son’s death still hospitalized” Thomasi McDonald, Oct. 16, 2014