Florida Woman Charged With DUI Manslaughter After Crashing SUV With Nine Unrestrained Kids Inside
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| A Florida woman appeared in court last Monday to answer drunk driving and manslaughter charges. The charges stem from a drunk driving accident that occurred on February 28th, which killed a toddler and injured nine more people.
According to CBS affiliate WTSP, 24-year-old Shameka Jones was driving northbound on I-75 when she veered into the shoulder, causing the Ford Expedition she was driving to go airborne and flip several times before coming to rest. Nine children were ejected from the vehicle, and Jones’s two-year-old son Isaac Solomon was killed. There were also two other adult passengers in the vehicle. News4Jax.com reports that in addition to the death of the toddler, the two adults and a six-month-old child were seriously injured, and the other seven children sustained mild injuries as a result of the crash. Police say that none of the children were wearing seat belts or restraints. Florida Highway Patrol revealed that Jones’s blood alcohol content level was more than twice the legal limit, which is typically 0.08% in the United States. Drunk driving refers to a person operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of drugs or alcohol to the degree that the driver’s cognizance or physical abilities are affected. In addition to the charges related to driving drunk, Jones also faces manslaughter charges and will likely face a myriad of other consequences — the full cost of a DUI in the United States is an average of $10,000 after attorney fees, fines, and court fees. Jones’s four remaining children have been sheltered and are now in the custody of the county. Two of them are in foster homes and the other two are still recovering from their injuries in the hospital. |
