16 Year Old Utah Teen Charged With Negligent Homicide Following Deadly Crash
A 16 year old Draper, Utah teen was charged with negligent homicide following a deadly crash that took the lives of two of the teen’s classmates.
A car full of inexperienced drivers
In November, five 16 year old students from Corner Canyon High School in Draper, Utah were driving on north Highland Drive just before midnight when one of the teens who was driving lost control of the vehicle, sending it into a roll. Two of the passengers, Lexie Fenton and Ethan Fraga were pronounced dead at the scene. The other three passengers, Hayden Gale, Romey Kelley, and Lauren Fenton who was Lexie’s twin sister were all transported to the hospital and released a short time later.
Negligent homicide
After a lengthy investigation, authorities determined that the 16 year old female driver was at fault for the death of her classmates. She was formally charged last month with two counts of negligent homicide. Utah Code 76-5-206 states “Criminal homicide constitutes negligent homicide if the actor, acting with criminal negligence, causes the death of another. Negligent homicide is a class A misdemeanor.”
Lesser of the homicide offenses
No details have been released as to why the teen was charged, but it does not appear drugs or alcohol played a part. Had they been, the teen driver could have faced felony charges for automobile homicide. The charges state the teen acted with criminal negligence which according to Utah Code 76-2-103 means “…with respect to circumstances surrounding his conduct or the result of his conduct when he ought to be aware of a substantial and unjustifiable risk that the circumstances exist or the result will occur. The risk must be of a nature and degree that the failure to perceive it constitutes a gross deviation from the standard of care that an ordinary person would exercise in all the circumstances as viewed from the actor’s standpoint.”
Juvenile defense
As teens are new, inexperienced drivers it is important for them to understand the safety as well as the legal risks associated with reckless or negligent driving. For more information on potential misdemeanor or felony charges teens may face behind the wheel, contact a juvenile defense attorney.
