Personal Injury Law News

April 26, 2009

Texas Driver to be Charged in Fatal Crash

A driver involved in a fatal vehicle accident is set to be charged for intoxication manslaughter.

A driver involved in a crash that killed five young passengers is set to be charged after police suspect he was intoxicated at the time of the accident. authorities in Houston are planning to charge 32 year-old Chanton Jenkins with intoxication manslaughter in the deaths of five children who range in ages one to eleven, following a car crash that resulted in the vehicle plunging into a ditch. Jenkins was reportedly on his cell phone in addition to being suspected of intoxication when he lost control of the automobile.

Jenkins failed a field sobriety test following Saturday's crash, which occurred after heavy rain turned the ditch into a torrent. The results of a blood alcohol test were pending, Smith said.

A noted in the report, Jenkins, another adult, and a ten year-old girl were able to escape from the car. Jenkins was reportedly the father of four of the children that had been riding in the vehicle.

The bodies of three boys — ages 4, 7 and 11 — were found inside the vehicle. A body believed to be that of a 1-year-old girl swept away from the car was found Sunday.

The car crashed into the ditch about two miles from the point where it feeds into Greens Bayou, a waterway that begins in northern Harris County and flows eastward and then south for about 40 miles before emptying into the Houston Ship Channel.

Jenkins and another adult escaped from the vehicle, along with a 10-year-old girl.

It took 2 1/2 hours to find the car in the ditch, which had filled with 9 1/2 feet of fast-moving water, and it was close to midnight before the current had eased enough for a dive team to recover the boys' bodies and discover that the girls had been swept away, Smith said. Police said the vehicle was swept 100 feet from the spot where it left the road.

Police said the adult passenger, who is Jenkins' brother, told police Jenkins was the father of four of the children, including the girl who escaped.

Jenkins' brother told police rain was falling heavily when Jenkins answered a cell phone. He said Jenkins lost control when he hung up the phone and the car flew down an embankment into the ditch, Smith said.

Sometimes, personal injury expenses can be overwhelming, and contacting a lawyer becomes necessary.
Dealing with insurance companies can sometimes be difficult. If you are considering an injury case, contact the Houston Personal injury lawyers of the Stephens Law Firm at 713-224-0000

 

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The Stephens Law Firm will represent people anywhere in Texas, or across the United States if the case merits it. The communities we have frequently served over the past 22 years include: Houston, Katy, Beaumont, Liberty, Richmond, Rosenberg, Wharton, Corpus-Christi, Waller, Austin, Brownsville, McAllen, Dallas, and San Antonio. We have extensive experience in the County and District Courts of Harris County, Ft Bend County, Nueces County, Wharton County, Bexar County, Liberty County, and Jefferson County.

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