A retired NASA astronaut has been charged with murder after an auto accident that resulted in the death of two young girls. The 59-year-old former NASA employee was arrested and charged this week with two counts of murder for an alleged DUI auto accident that killed an 11-year-old girl and her 13-year-old half-sister near Tuscaloosa Alabama. The fatal accident occurred when the man rear-ended a Ford Fiesta with such force, it crushed the Fiesta, pushing it sideways across the highway and into a median. The Fiesta carrying four passengers flipped multiple times and landed in oncoming traffic. Both girls died from injuries sustained in the accident. Tragically, the young girls were not wearing safety belts and were ejected from the Fiesta during the wreck. The other Fiesta passengers were treated for non-life threatening injuries. The former astronaut was detained at the scene of the fatal accident. According to court documents, he allegedly tried to flee the scene of the crash by taking the vehicle of a motorist who had stopped to help. Police found an empty bottle of wine and 10 empty sleeping pill packages at the man’s hotel.
According to Alabama criminal code, a person can be charged with murder if found to have recklessly caused the death of another person while engaging in conduct which creates a grave risk of death.
If you have lost a loved one in an auto accident caused by the heinous actions of another driver, please contact the compassionate and trusted attorneys at Meyerkord & Kurth, LLC, who are ready to give you expert legal counsel.