The driver, who was eighteen at the time of the collision, was charged with assault and vehicular homicide on Friday. Three children and a mother lost their lives in the disaster, and other individuals were hurt as well. Chase Daniel Jones faces two charges of vehicular assault in addition to charges of careless driving and four counts of vehicular homicide. Jones was quickly taken into custody after being released from the hospital; his bail has been set at one million dollars. It is expected that on April 4th, he will be charged.
It happened on Tuesday, March 19, on 140th Avenue SE in Renton. The collision claimed lives. A total of eight individuals were left with minor injuries, three people with serious injuries, and four people murdered.
The victims of the sad event have been named as Eloise and Matilda “Tilly” Wilcoxson, ages 12 and 13, Buster Brown, ages 12, and Andrea Hudson, ages 38. According to the King County Sheriff’s Office, speed appears to have played a role in the incident given the first results of the investigation.
According to documents submitted to the court, Hudson was carpooling five kids when she drove her minivan toward eastbound traffic on SE 192nd Street. Driving through the intersection of 192nd and 140th Avenue, Hudson was “T-boned” by a car who was speeding and was named in the records as Jones. The driver who started the crash was Jones.
The prosecution called the incident a “very violent collision” and claimed in the court filings that the survivors died instantly as a result of the hit. The two kids who were still in Hudson’s car are reportedly receiving treatment in the intensive care unit for wounds like internal bleeding, fractured bones, and brain bleeds. It was said in the documents that “their prognosis is still unknown.” None of the occupants of the other two cars involved in the collision suffered significant injuries.
The prosecution claims that Jones was observed “weaving around other traffic” while traveling at a fast speed. The prosecution also claimed that his driving was recorded. Jones was allegedly running a red light at the intersection “at full throttle without braking” at a speed of 112 miles per hour.
Jones was above the speed limit, as evidenced by the data from his car. According to the documents, the investigators found that, throughout the course of eleven months, Jones had totaled three vehicles in high-speed collisions.
Jones also had an abdominal injury that required surgery, along with a shattered leg and ribs. The Washington Road Safety Commission reports that 809 persons died in traffic accidents in the state of Washington in 2017. However, as more data is being gathered, the total could ultimately increase. The year 2023 will mark the highest number of traffic accident-related fatalities since 1981, provided the total number of fatalities falls below 825.
