5 Children Killed in Houston Crash; Man to be Charged with Four Counts of Intoxication Manslaughter
Intoxication manslaughter charges have been filed on a Houston man who lost control of his vehicle Saturday, plunging the car into a flooded ditch and killing five children.
32-year-old Chanton Jenkins was driving in Houston with his brother, his three sons—ages 4, 7 and 11—and three young girls, ages 1, 3 and 10 when he answered his cell phone while driving. When he hung up the call, he lost control and crashed his car into a ditch filled with 9 ½ feet of fast-moving water. Jenkins, his brother and the 10-year-old girl were able to escape the car, but the three boys were trapped and died inside. It took a dive team and accident investigators hours to recover the car, which had moved 100 feet away from the point of the crash. The boys’ bodies were finally recovered around midnight before investigators realized the two girls had been swept away and were still missing.
The 1-year-old girl’s body was found yesterday, but the search continues for the 3-year-old girl. Both were cousins of the young boys.
Jenkins failed a field sobriety test after the drunk-driving accident and was charged Sunday with the five deaths. Even though the 1-year-old girl’s body has not been recovered, investigators are assuming she has died. The flooded ditch feeds into a Bayou which eventually flows into the Houston Ship Channel.
Torrential rainstorms in southeast Texas on Saturday created a dangerous situation for all drivers. If you were injured in a car accident, contact the Anderson Law Firm to discuss your rights.
Photo courtesy of WFAA.com.
