Police Arrest Eureka Resident in Car Accident Investigation
Yet another drag racing-related car accident in California has resulted in fatalities and serious injuries. On Thursday, a young man, believed to have been involved in a drag race car accident that killed an 8-year-old girl and left another woman with severe injuries, was arrested.
Police had sought 19-year-old Anthony Flores ever since the car accident on Monday. Flores was driving a silver Mustang, and had been racing a Pontiac Sunbird driven by 31-year-old Jason Bradley Whitmill. As the cars raced on Highway 299, an SUV emerged on the scene. The Pontiac clipped the SUV, sending the SUV flipping. The Pontiac ended up in a ditch. Passengers in both vehicles were injured in the car accident. An 8-year-old girl was killed while the 58-year-old driver of the SUV Debra Quigley of McKinleyville sustained serious injuries.
The Mustang disappeared after the accident, and police had been on the lookout for the driver since. On Thursday, police arrested Flores on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter while under the influence, as well as fleeing the scene of an accident which resulted in injury or death. He hasn’t been charged yet, because the District Attorney’s office is still waiting for reports before formal charges are filed.
Jason Whitmill is also expected to be charged with gross vehicular manslaughter while under the influence. Whitmill, who was injured in the accident, was arrested on Monday. Police initially believed that he had been a passenger in the Pontiac.
While Flores has been arrested, his vehicle, the Mustang, is still at large. Whitmill meanwhile, is an interesting character, with at least 17 cases on his criminal record, four of which were just last year, and a few stints as a guest of the state. He has been arrested for possession of drugs as well as theft, felony evasions, and possession of marijuana with intent to sell. According to Department of Motor Vehicles records, his license has been expired since 2005. A 40-year-old woman who was reported to have been Whitmill’s passenger in the Pontiac is not expected to be charged in the car accident.
Now that the two men have been arrested, we hope that they will be held accountable for their behavior. The little girl who was killed did nothing to deserve this, and neither did her family. For these two men, who are old enough to know better, to be using the streets as their personal playground and endangering other lives, is unforgivable. Whitmill is 31-years-old, and seems to have very little respect for the laws of the state. Flores meanwhile, is still 19, but if he is allowed to get away with a slap on the wrist this time, we can expect his name to be back in the news again in relation to other such reckless acts. At this car accident attorney blog, we extend our sympathies to the family of the little girl at this time of loss.
The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of car accidents. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.
