Blog Report

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Update on Fatal Crash from Last Year

Via the OC Weekly in California:

In an update to this story from November last year, the driver accused of huffing behind the wheel and causing a crash that killed his passenger was arraigned earlier this week.

On the evening of November 20, 2010 the 20 year old driver was allegedly huffing nitrous oxide from balloons while driving with three passengers in the car. Prosecutors argue at one point he dropped his head and released his hands from the steering wheel “causing him to lose control of his vehicle that went up onto the center median and crashed into a pine tree.”

The crash severely damaged the front of the car and caused the vehicle to catch fire. The 15 year old passenger in the front seat was trapped in the car and died of multiple blunt force trauma injuries. The two passengers in the back seat were able to escape with police assistance and emerged with minor injuries.

The driver was comatose and sustained severe head and thermal injuries and a broken clavicle. Balloons were found in his pants pocket and a “gas cylinder, valve knob for the gas cylinder and a balloon were found on the center median grass near the crash site.”

In March he was charged with “one felony count of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence while intoxicated with sentencing enhancements and allegations for causing great bodily injury and causing great bodily injury to more than one victim.” Due to his injuries and medical treatment he wasn’t arrested until last Tuesday.

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