Jury Recommends Portsmouth Woman Serve 38 Years for Crash that Killed Two Children

The case of a 21-year-old woman who crashed her SUV with two young girls in the back after a police chase makes for disturbing reading.

Two girls aged eight and five lost their lives when Takiara Lewis-White crashed her vehicle as she fled a state trooper on I-264 in Portsmouth last year, WAVY.com reported,

Lewis-White was a friend of the girls’ mother. She was accused of failing to restrain the children in the back of the car. This week a jury found the 21-year-old guilty of six felonies including murder, child abuse and neglect and two traffic offenses. The jury recommended she serve at least 38 years behind bars. Edwin Wu, an assistant public defender for the City of Portsmouth, had asked for a minimum sentence of 16 years.

My thoughts are with the families of those who lost their lives in this horrific crash.

Lewis-White was accused of speeding and losing control of her car with the kids in the back. Her child was also in the car but was restrained.

An autopsy found the children died of blunt force trauma to the head along with other injuries.

During the court hearing, investigators claimed the 21-year-old was driving on a suspended license and trying to escape from police.

Investigators claimed she reached speeds of 120 mph before flipping her car at the I-264 exit at Greenwood Drive in Portsmouth and crashing into trees.

Police Chase Crashes Claim Many Lives

We see many instances in which drivers eluding police pay for their actions with their lives or those of others. Usually, these crashes are at high speeds. It’s particularly tragic when innocent children pay with their lives.

You should never seek to elude police. Not only will you almost invariably be caught but you will place yourself and other drivers and passengers in grave danger.

Even if you survive an accident like this, the consequences will likely be serious. Two years ago a man from Virginia Beach was sentenced to 40 years in jail for killing a pedestrian while eluding Virginia Beach police.

If you lose a loved one in a car wreck, you should consider calling a Hampton Roads wrongful death attorney. Call Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers at (757) 333-3333.