BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT)– 37, 461 people died in car crashes on U.S. highways in 2016.
Alcohol was a factor in 10, 497 of those accidents.
That year in Alabama 279 people died in DUI crashes. 13-year-old Jayla Parler and 11-year-old Niomi James are two of those people. They were killed in a crash on June 6, 2016.
Police arrested James Halsell Jr. at the site of the crash on Highway 82 in Tuscaloosa County.
Even though a grand jury later indicted James Halsell Jr. on two counts of reckless murder, two counts of first-degree assault driving under the influence, and two counts of assault indifference to the value of human life, he was released from jail on a $150,000 bond.
Halsell, who is retired from NASA as an astronaut, has yet to stand to trial. Jayla and Niomi’s parents Latrice Parler and Pernell James want to know why.
LATEST POSTS
- Summer Storms Return Sunday
- Does Texas’ ‘drag ban bill’ target transgender Texans?
- Christie’s 2024 bid set to make criticism of Trump a central focus
- Alabama basketball manager was with Brandon Miller at shooting scene, lawsuit against NY Times says
- Progressive losses mount: Here are five big disappointments
