| NEWS The Voice of Auburn, Rod Bramblett, and his wife Paula were killed from injuries in a serious auto accident (UPDATE: driver charged)

[planomateo]

Lets hold off on trying to convict the guy before the facts are out.

 

[252BAMA]

 

[rocknthefreeworld]

Report: Teen Fell Asleep Before Bramblett Crash - WLTZ

Clarification: The teen driver involved in the fatal crash with Rod and Paula Bramblett allegedly told First Responders he fell asleep at the wheel at the time of the crash. The Official cause of the crash is still under investigation. WLTZ First News is not publishing the name of the teen...

www.wltz.com

Lee County Prosecutor Brandon Hughes doesn’t sugar coat what happened to Rod and Paula Bramblett.

“I don’t know why this kid plowed into the back of the Brambletts and killed them. I don’t. But it’s not an accident okay we have a crash here. I don’t know that they’re criminally liable at this point,” Hughes told First News.

The young driver allegedly fell asleep at the wheel when he crashed into the Brambletts who were stopped at the intersection of Shug Jordan Parkway and W Samford Avenue that fateful Saturday evening.

Investigators ruled out alcohol and cell phone use but speed and toxicology data are still pending they said.

 

[TerryP]

“I don’t know why this kid plowed into the back of the Brambletts and killed them. I don’t. But it’s not an accident okay we have a crash here. I don’t know that they’re criminally liable at this point,” Hughes told First News.

None of this makes sense.

"I don't know why" insinuates there a conscious reason for the wreck. I can see "I don't know how the driver hit the Bramlett's."

"It's not an accident" but "I don't know if they're criminally liable at this point?" If you don't know one (criminally liable,) you don't know the other (it's not an accident.")

To me, this has the makings of the driver being put in a version of a kangaroo court. It reeks of "posing for publicity" with Hughes in my view.

 

[rocknthefreeworld]

There is a rumor that he is a relative of someone in the police/judicial arena there so they are saying things ina certain way on purpose.

 

[planomateo]

Over under on the number of times Kick 6 is played during the during the trial is....

 

[TerryP]

Kangaroo court is the only way I see him getting convicted here. There's no way to prove he was under the influence at the time of the accident. Rate of speed is another matter but that falls more under reckless endangerment, doesn't it?

 

[planomateo]

Speeding and marijuana, odd combo

 

[50+yeartidefan]

Speeding and marijuana, odd combo

Odd but not unusual......any intoxicating substance....cell phones included....that impair or reduce driving skill ( ha....not a word used here)... are dangerous...
I ride a Harley and it is really dangerous for us 2 wheelers with little saftey net....

 

[TerryP]

Speeding and marijuana, odd combo

Headlines and tainting the jury pool. I don't see it any other way.

 

[TerryP]

Odd but not unusual......any intoxicating substance.

Honestly, have you ever smoked and drove?

 

[rocknthefreeworld]

There's no way to prove he was under the influence at the time of the accident.

They will use the accident itself as proof that he was under the influence. I expect they already have proof it was in his system so it isn't a large jump to under the influence, especially if he fell asleep as reported.

 

[planomateo]

Adds up.

Asleep at the wheel AND under the influence of marijuana AND speeding

 

[TerryP]

They will use the accident itself as proof that he was under the influence. I expect they already have proof it was in his system so it isn't a large jump to under the influence, especially if he fell asleep as reported.

You're right. The toxicology report would reflect he has it in his system. What the report will not reflect is whether he was under the influence at the time of the accident. It can't be proven because that technology simply doesn't exist. Hence the reference to a Kangaroo court is the only way i can see him being convicted.

I'm seeing this. One, it was reported he was speeding according the police. The rate of speed at the accident is something that they can show in court. He was 16. Again, something they can prove. DUI? Can not be proven. That's pure speculation which has no place in the courts of law in this case.

 

[rocknthefreeworld]

Any DUI law is going to be arbitrary and are created just to be able to convict someone more easily. You may have a BAC below the legal limit and be unable to control anything at all while someone else may be perfectly fine at a BAC above the limit.

 

[rick4bama]

What boil down to it, this young man rams into the back of the car of this marry couples and both died because of it! This boy just loses the rest of his life.

 

[rocknthefreeworld]

Teen driver charged as adult in Bramblett crash; police allege marijuana use and excessive speed

AUBURN, Ala (WRBL) – Auburn police have arrested and charged a 16-year-old driver in the deadly rear-end crash that killed the Voice of the Auburn Tigers Rod Bramblett and his wife Paula on May 25t…

www.wrbl.com

There is a drawing of the wreck here. He hit them from behind with enough force to push their vehicle across the entire intersection and spin it around. They died from injuries sustained in that impact, not their car hitting anything else.

"Unit 1 was traveling southbound in the outside lane on Shug Jordan Pkwy approaching W Samford Ave. It appears Unit 2 was stationary or near stationary in the southbound outside lane of Shug Jordan Pkwy at the traffic signal at W Samford Ave. The Driver of Unit 1 stated he fell asleep while driving and did not remember what happened. The driver and passenger of Unit 2 were unable to give a statement due to their injuries. Unit 1 struck Unit 2 to the right of center. The impact caused Unit 1 to strike a pedestrian crossing signal and a traffic light pole before coming to a final rest. Unit 2 was pushed into the intersection and through the opposing lanes of traffic before coming to a final rest on the curb. "

 

[TerryP]

Any DUI law is going to be arbitrary and are created just to be able to convict someone more easily.

I'd agree in some cases but not with alcohol related accidents. How a body breaks down alcohol does vary, but if you're registering a fraction below the legal limit at the time of the test it can be proven your BAC was higher at the time of the accident.

There's no science behind that with marijuana. That's the point here.

Speed limit and impact...it's a physics thing. Under the influence of marijuana at a specific time; speculation.

That's why I don't see something coming from this that fits manslaughter unless it's handled in a Kangaroo court environment (not much unlike what we saw Updyke go through down there.) That should have been tried in a different location and this should be as well.

 

[rick4bama]

Teen charged in fatal Bramblett crash
By WSFA Staff | July 2, 2019 at 10:17 AM CDT - Updated July 2 at 10:31 AM
LEE COUNTY, Ala. (WSFA) - New court documents indicate the speed 16-year-old Johnston Edward Taylor was traveling when his SUV slammed into the back of Rod Bramblett’s Toyota, killing him and his wife, Paula, on May 25.
According to an affidavit, following the crash the Auburn Police Department obtained search warrants to extract the Electronic Data Recording Modules from both Taylor’s 2011 Jeep Cherokee Laredo and the Brambletts’ 2017 Toyota Highlander.
The modules act in a similar manner to an airplane’s black box, recording some data about a vehicle’s actions that can be extracted for review following a crash.
When the data was analyzed by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, it was determined that Taylor’s Jeep was accelerating from 89 mph to 91 mph, with no signs of any braking, when he hit the back of the Highlander.
The posted speed limit in the area of Shug Jordan Parkway where the double-fatal crash happened is 55 mph.

Rod and Paula Bramblett were killed in a two-vehicle crash in Auburn on May 25. (Source: Auburn Athletics)
Additionally, prior to Taylor’s arrest Monday on two counts of manslaughter, Auburn police received results of its Toxicology Analysis Report on a blood sample taken while Taylor was being treated for non-life-threatening injuries at a hospital the evening of the crash.
The blood, sent to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences for testing, found THC, the primary psychoactive component of marijuana “and is indicative of recent usage of Marijuana at the time of the collision on May 25th 2019.”

Rod Bramblett was the celebrated voice of Auburn Tigers athletics. His wife had worked for Auburn University in its Office of Information Technology. They left behind two children, Shelby and Joshua.
According to the initial traffic crash report by Auburn police, Taylor told police he fell asleep at the wheel and didn’t remember the events surrounding the crash, which happened around 6 p.m. that Saturday evening.
The police report stated the Jeep was traveling southbound in the outside lane of Shug Jordan, approaching Samford when it hit the back of the Brambletts’ SUV right of center. The Highlander appeared to have been stationary or near stationary in the southbound outside lane of Shug Jordan at the traffic light.
The impact of the crash caused the Jeep to hit a pedestrian crossing signal and a traffic light pole before coming to a stop. The Highlander was pushed into the intersection and through the opposing lanes of traffic before coming to a stop on the curb.
Paula Bramblett was pronounced dead at nearby East Alabama Medical Center. Rod Bramblett was initially taken to EAMC but transferred in critical condition via helicopter to UAB in Birmingham. He was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
Taylor was arrested at his home Monday on two counts of manslaughter, then taken to the Lee County Jail. He was later released on a $50,000 bond.
Authorities have confirmed he will be tried as an adult but no court date has been set at this time.
Copyright 2019 WSFA 12 News. All rights reserved.

 

[rocknthefreeworld]

Manslaughter in Alabama
(a) A person commits the crime of manslaughter if:
(1) He recklessly causes the death of another person ...

When the data was analyzed by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, it was determined that Taylor’s Jeep was accelerating from 89 mph to 91 mph, with no signs of any braking, when he hit the back of the Highlander.

That is going to be your "recklessly" in the above law.