New Year’s Is Over, DWIs Continue

At six am on Sunday at the George Bush Turnpike and 2500 block of North 35-E, three Carrollton police officers were arresting a driver for a DWI. They put the arrested driver in the back seat and were about to continue on when 911 dispatch alerted the officers of another possibly intoxicated driver in a black car. Before the police could seek out the drunk driver, the reckless black sedan found the police’s SUV. The black car slammed into the squad car, causing several injuries.

Four were taken to the hospital as a result including two Carrollton police officers, the first suspected DWI driver and the second DWI driver. All were taken for what were reported as minor injuries. Both drivers will be facing criminal charges. Their names haven’t been released to the media yet.

This incident highlights how dangerous it is for police officers to pursue drunk drivers. This is only one of many incidents where emergency responders and police officers have been injured by drunk drivers.

Sunday Morning – Another DWI Death

The same morning of the Carrolton crash about forty-five minutes earlier in Northwest Dallas, one man would be killed and another seriously injured in a crash caused by a suspected drunk driver. 22-year-old Komborerai Chekenyere was driving north on Midway near Royal lane when his car started drifting to the right. Near Beaver Brook Place the vehicle smashed into a concrete retaining wall. Backseat passenger Robyn Kemp, age 27, was killed. The front seat passenger, 30-year-old Jaymillya Chekenyere, was seriously injured in the accident. While both victim and driver have the same last name, a specific familial relationship has not be explicitly mentioned.

If Komborerai Chekenyere himself was injured the information was not reported by the DallasCrimeblog. Chekenyere was apprehended by police and is now being held at the Lew Sterrett Justice Center. He’ll face characters of intoxication manslaughter and intoxication assault.

Tarrant Sherriff Office Employee Arrested for Intoxication Manslaughter

The long line of Tarrant County employees who drive drunk and hurt others continued this weekend with 29-year-old Alan Michael McKinney. The civilian employee worked in “roadside courtesy patrol” and has been in the sheriff’s office since 2006.

McKinney was behind the wheel of his pickup when his car smashed into a small car that was leaving United Artists theatre at a quarter past six on Saturday in Fort Worth. The driver of the other vehicle, Amy Anders, was killed in the accident. The beautiful 23-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene.  Her passenger, a 21-year-old male whose name has not yet been released, was rescued from the fiery wreckage and careflited to a nearby hospital. His injuries were described as critical. An update on his condition has not been released.

Despite the egregious injuries of the passenger and the death of the driver, McKinney himself sustained only minor injuries according to police spokesman Tracey Knight. Needless to say, McKinney has been suspended by the sheriff’s office. An internal affairs investigation is under way.

Our hearts go out to the Anders’ family and the family of the other unknown male victim. These cases are shocking. Countless people go out early Saturday evenings to see a movie with family members and friends. We want to believe we are safe, particularly at the early hour of six pm. The terrible truth is that negligent drivers can kill others at the most unpredictable of times and places. We can only hope that Anders’ passenger is able to recover from his injuries, and that McKinney will be effectively prosecuted for intoxication manslaughter.

Single Vehicle Accidents – Causes Unknown

There were two serious single-vehicle car accidents over the last few days, but if alcohol played a role it’s not yet been disclosed. Only just this morning before 6 am on HiLine in Dallas’ design district, an SUV crashed into a utility pole. The driver (believed to be alone in the car) was partially ejected and then crushed by his vehicle. Firefighters used airbags to lift the wreckage and free the driver who was hospitalized. There are no notes on his condition.

Another accident this morning shortly after midnight resulted in the death of a man in his 30’s. His pickup truck lost control in Plano on eastbound Hedgcoxe Road near Union. For unknown reasons, the pickup ran into a tree. The driver’s side of the Nissan truck was heavily damaged. The victim’s name was not released. The deceased driver was alone in his truck and no other vehicle was involved in the accident.

The Holidays Are Over, What’s Going On?

Even after the worst of the holiday drunk-driving and reckless driving season is over there continues to be deadly accidents in the DFW area. Weather cleared up this weekend, but terrible accidents still plagued the metroplex. Let’s make these last two weeks in January safer than the earlier weeks this month.