When one hears about a DUI car accident, one of the first things that may run through their mind is if someone was hurt. It is not uncommon to learn innocent people have suffered serious injuries or died after being hit by drivers who are too intoxicated to be in the driver’s seat. Most victims of drunk driving accidents had no clue that someone would change their lives in undesirable ways.
A recent accident multivehicle accident on I-40 West, near the Pellissippi Parkway and Lovell Road exits claimed the life of a male toddler (three years old) and his mother (32 years old). The mother and son died at the scene when a drunk male pickup truck driver hit the front of their car after it collided with a commercial vehicle. Not much is known about why the mother made a sudden lane change before losing control of her car and hitting the semi-trailer. Her young daughter was also a passenger in the vehicle and is currently listed in stable but critical condition at the University of Tennessee Medical Center.
The pickup driver is a 30-year-old male and has a $15,500 bond. He is from Lawrence City and is currently incarcerated at the Roger D. Wilson Detention Facility. During his arrest, law enforcement found marijuana in his possession. He is also a repeat DUI offender and faces charges for drug possession and second offense DUI.
The commercial vehicle operator is from West Virginia and is 55 years old. He is not believed to be at fault. Law enforcement officials are still investigating the incident and are trying to determine if the kids were in proper child restraints and the mother was wearing her seat belt.
Source: KnoxNews.com, Police: Crash kills woman and 3-year-old son, man charged with DUI”, Dec. 13, 2017