A tragic car crash in Sampson County has led to charges against the mother of a three-year-old boy who was killed in the incident. Brittiney Nicole Simmons, 33, of Autryville, has been charged with misdemeanor death by vehicle. The crash on Autry Mill Road, which occurred on Oct. 14, involved Simmons' 2004 Ford Expedition. Authorities report that Simmons veered off the roadway and, in attempting to correct, caused the vehicle to strike a ditch and collide with a tree before flipping several times, as per court documents cited in reports from CBS 17.
In a follow-up to this tragic story, Simmons is also facing charges for failing to properly restrain her children in the vehicle. Two other children, aged 13 and 5, were injured in the crash that not only claimed the life of Walker Woods Lambert, Simmons' three-year-old son, but also saw them thrown from the vehicle due to the impact. According to an article by ABC11, speed is believed to have been a contributing factor in the crash. Beyond the misdemeanor charge, Simmons faces additional charges including operating a vehicle with no license and not properly restraining a child under 16. She is scheduled to appear in court on December 5.
Troopers responding to the accident after 6:30 p.m. found the SUV had landed in a nearby yard, as detailed in the initial reports. The North Carolina State Highway Patrol indicated that the overcorrection on the part of Simmons was key in leading to the crash's fatal outcome.
The dire consequences of not securing children properly in a vehicle were highlighted starkly by the fact that 3-year-old Walker was killed, while his siblings were hospitalized with serious injuries. The 13-year-old was rushed to WakeMed, and the 5-year-old required airlift to New Hanover Regional Medical Center. "Simmons was the only person in the SUV wearing a seatbelt," confirmed Highway Patrol officials in a statement obtained by WRAL News.
