13-Year-Old Driver Kills 1 in High-Speed Police Chase Collision
On behalf of Brown & Crouppen, P.C. posted in Motor Vehicle Accident on Monday, July 30, 2012
Authorities in Franklin County, Missouri, say that a 13-year-old girl driving a pickup truck led police on a high-speed chase that led to a fatal collision with a 17-year-old girl. The younger girl could be charged with murder in connection with the car accident, which took place early on July 27 at the intersection of two highways, according to the Missouri Highway Patrol.
The incident began close to midnight when a sheriff’s deputy observed a truck driven by the 13-year-old headed northbound on Highway 47 weave onto the shoulder. Suspecting the driver was intoxicated, the deputy tried to pull over the truck. But the driver did not pull over and the vehicles entered the town of Washington at what one report describes as “moderate” speed. But then the truck sped up and ran through two red lights, the deputy said. The deputy slowed down but did not break off the pursuit.
The pickup truck reached Route 47’s intersection with Highway 100, where the victim was stopped at a red light, waiting to make a left turn. The younger driver attempted a right turn but crashed into the truck, sending both vehicles off the highway.
The victim was rushed to a local hospital and transferred to Mercy Hospital St. Louis. She was pronounced dead around 3 a.m. The suspect and her younger brother, who was a passenger in the truck, sustained moderate injuries. The truck belonged to the girl’s parents and was taken without permission. She was put in custody of juvenile authorities, but could face adult charges of second-degree murder and theft. She was not intoxicated, the sheriff said.
Source: The Missourian, “Washington Teen Dies in Crash, 13-year-old Union Girl in Custody,” Ed Pruneau, July 30, 2012