Man indicted on murder charges after accident kills family

In late October, a man was involved in a car accident that took the lives of a family of five. He’s now been indicted and he’s facing murder charges.

The man is 57 years old. The sentences he faces, if he is convicted, would likely range from 20 and 50 years. Since he’d have five of them and due to his age, that could mean he heads to jail for the rest of his life.

Reports indicate that the man was going 96 miles per hour at the time of the crash. Marijuana also showed up on tests, and he had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.083 percent. The legal limit is 0.08 percent.

Not only was he going 96 mph during the wreck, but information from the car indicates that, just a half a second prior to impact, he was at 100 percent acceleration.

It appears that the man had been at a golf outing before he got in his car, which is where he was drinking. A friend testified against him and he made similar statements during the arrest.

Those killed were a 26-year-old father, a 27-year-old mother, a 9-year-old daughter, an 8-year-old son and a 6-year-old daughter. One of the children suffered from Down syndrome, and the mother stayed at home to care for all of the kids. The father was a bus driver.

Stories like this can leave the extended family reeling, and no financial compensation will fully make up for the emotional toll of such a tragic loss. However, the family may be facing funeral costs, medical bills and many other costs, so it is important to know what legal options exist.

Source: Lexington Herald-Leader, “At 96 mph, he killed family of five, grand jury says,” Amanda Kelly, Dec. 21, 2017