A special team of Dallas County prosecutors is using high-tech tools to collect data from cars as they prosecute Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Laci Rice. The driver was driving 190 mph on a Dallas freeway moments before the dangerous crash, police said. Several people were injured in March.
A few weeks before the accident occurred, NBC 5 investigates spoke to members of the district attorney’s team about how they are using technology to investigate high-speed crashes on Dallas roadways. For several months NBC 5 investigates reports on dangerous driving and excessive speed on Dallas roads in a series of reports called “Driven to Death.”
Whether it’s the case of an NFL star accused of injuring multiple people or the case of an elderly woman killed by a driver in a street race, Assistant District Attorney Andrew James and the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office Vehicle Crimes Unit prosecute the case. often called for. These include allegations of high speed driving, street racing, or reckless driving.
James’ team received lengthy prison sentences for their dangerous behavior on Dallas roads.
The Vehicle Crimes Unit has handed down a 15-year prison sentence for the death of Linda Peterson, 73, who was killed by a motorist racing on Ferguson Road.
“Her life shouldn’t have ended the way it did,” James said. “Motor vehicle crime is a violent crime. What happens to a person in a matter of milliseconds when they are hit by a car at these speeds is devastating.”
James’ unit indicted Rice and SMU football player Teddy Knox, garnering national attention.
Rice and Knox were arrested on charges of crash causing injury and aggravated assault in connection with a crash on Chuo Expressway in March.
Rice and Knox said through their attorneys that they are cooperating with the investigation. Mr. Rice also issued his public apology and said he takes full responsibility for his role in the accident.
Seconds before the crash, Rice was driving a Lamborghini SUV going 119 mph and Knox was behind the wheel of a Corvette going 116 mph, according to a police report obtained by NBC 5.
To verify these speeds, investigators obtained search warrants from the two vehicles “to download (event data recorder) EDR data,” according to the police report. EDR captures the vehicle’s movements immediately before a collision.
A few weeks before the accident, Dallas County prosecutors met with: NBC 5 investigates Share how drivers use EDR and other in-car electronics to prove how fast they’re going.
“And there are more and more tools available,” James said.
Dallas County District Attorney John Clouzot said these tools are helping address what he describes as a worsening problem: excessive speeds and dangerous driving on Dallas roads. Ta.
“If something bad happens and you hit someone, you kill or injure someone. We will do everything in our power to prosecute and we will get the evidence. We will respond quickly,” Clouzot said.
To obtain speed data, Clouzot invested in a team skilled in analyzing information captured by devices such as GPS navigation systems and mobile phone apps, which collect location data that can be used to determine speed.
Ron Cathcart, an investigator with the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office, said having that data made a huge difference in prosecuting the case.
“That’s the big change for us. We’re actually able to do all these things that we couldn’t do 15 years ago,” Cathcart said.
Mr Cathcart said some car models now record the vehicle’s speed every second, making it easier for jurors to see what was happening inside the car before the crash.
“So for us, they’re a great source of information,” Cathcart said.
In some cases, speeds of 80 mph and 160 mph were recorded on city streets rather than highways before fatal crashes occurred. Event data recorders installed in many vehicles can also capture other important information, such as the rate of deceleration after a collision occurs.
“So at 100 miles per hour, that means the vehicle is traveling 146 feet in one second, which is just short of crossing a football field in two seconds,” James said. Ta.
Last year, the prosecution team secured a conviction in another high-profile case, a high-speed police chase involving a driver wearing a fraudulent paper license plate. Grand Prairie Police Officer Brandon Tsai was killed in an accident during a pursuit.
“Every family I meet is going through the worst time in their life because they’ve lost a loved one,” James said.
James said contributing to bringing justice to accident victims makes the job rewarding.
Prosecutors hope that by speaking publicly about how the unit does its job, it will remind people that driving recklessly makes it nearly impossible to hide your speed. He said he is doing so.
“These are all very important, very impactful cases, and we want to do our best to hold people accountable for them,” Clouzot said.
Clouzot said he is prioritizing funding for the Vehicle Crimes Unit so it is better equipped to take on cases that are more likely to result in convictions. Over the past two years, the unit has secured 67 guilty pleas, and the seven cases that went to trial resulted in convictions with an average prison term of 54 years.
NBC 5 investigates Before the Lassie Rice case, I filmed interviews with the District Attorney and the Vehicle Crimes Unit. The District Attorney’s Office has since said it cannot comment specifically on the incident or the evidence it obtained because it is currently under investigation, but what we do know from police reports is that the Lamborghini driven by Rice and the one driven by Knox Both Corvettes had EDR.
As the Rice case progresses in court, more questions will be asked about whether investigators were also obtaining data from cellphones, road cameras, or other equipment that could help explain the speed and driving behavior involved. You might find out a lot.
