• 30
  • August
    2010

The fatal Texas car accident happened more than two years ago, making the last two plus years likely feel like a long wait for the family of the Texas victims who died due to the reckless driving of David Calhoun Jones, 48. But much of their waiting is now over because a jury finally rendered a verdict in the case last Thursday, Aug. 26.

To understand the verdict, however, the details of the car accident that killed the Texas family of five must be discussed. On June 22, 2008, Geoff and Christy Hart and their three kids Rebekah, Kevinnesha and Raven, were riding in their minivan in Plano when a Pontiac crashed through their vehicle. Three of the victims died on impact, and the others died later in nearby hospitals.

The driver of that car was Jones, and he claims that the accident was not his fault. Jones and his defense attorney argue that Jones lost control of his car because he could not get the brakes to work. The car crash occurred when Jones approached a stop light and did not stop in time to avoid an accident.

Investigators were unable to detect any mechanical problems with Jones' car, and that lack of evidence helped lead to last week's verdict. It took the Texas jury just over two hours to decide that Jones, a father of two, is guilty of five counts of manslaughter.

A sentencing hearing in this case will take place soon, but the judge has an important point to consider: Jones was severely injured in the car accident and is now a paraplegic. Jones has been in rehabilitation centers since the accident, and the judge will want to determine whether he will get the medical attention he needs if put in prison, where he could be sentenced for up to 20 years. 

The prosecution believes that Jones has lied about the accident and that he was driving as fast as 100 mph at the time of the 2008 crash, so they will probably push for the 20-year sentence.

Resource

The Dallas Morning News: Driver found guilty in crash that killed Plano family of 5 (8/27/2010)