Fort Worth Speeding Driver Gets 18 Years In Deadly Bus Stop Crash

Nearly a year after a pickup barreled through a Fort Worth bus stop, killing a 68-year-old woman and injuring two others, the driver has learned his fate. Last Friday, Judge Steven Jumes handed down concurrent prison terms of 18 years for manslaughter and 10 years for collision involving death, ordering that the defendant must serve nine years before he can be considered for parole. Investigators said excessive speed played a role in the crash, which sent the truck through the bus stop on East Lancaster Avenue and into a nearby convenience store.

In an open plea, Detavius Hayes received 10 years on the collision charge and 18 years on the manslaughter count, with both sentences set to run at the same time. Hayes had pleaded guilty in March, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Crash That Killed Inez Caldwell

The deadly collision happened on July 19, shortly before 3:07 p.m., in the 5500 block of East Lancaster Avenue. Investigators said two vehicles were heading west at high speed when one lost control, veered into the bus stop, and struck 68-year-old Inez Caldwell as she waited there. The vehicle then continued on and slammed into a nearby Conoco station. Two other people at the bus stop suffered minor injuries, according to The Dallas Morning News.

Indictments And Failure To Render Aid

Fort Worth police also arrested Deovion Alexander in connection with the crash, and his collision-involving-death indictment is still pending in the 485th District Court in Tarrant County, the Star-Telegram reports. Prosecutors say neither driver stopped nor returned to render aid to Caldwell after the impact, and that Hayes’s pickup continued on and hit the store after striking the bus stop.

What The Sentences Mean

Under Texas law, manslaughter is a second-degree felony that carries a possible prison term of two to 20 years. Separate statutes governing collisions that cause serious injury or death spell out felony punishment ranges and spell out a driver’s duty to stop and render aid, which helps explain the lengths of the sentences and the parole timeline in this case. The relevant provisions are laid out in the Texas Penal Code and the Texas Transportation Code.

Community Reaction And Next Steps

Family members and neighbors have mourned Caldwell’s death and called for stronger traffic enforcement along East Lancaster in the wake of the crash. Witnesses at a nearby taco restaurant told reporters they rushed over to help in the chaotic moments afterward. While Hayes begins serving his state sentence, Alexander’s case remains pending in district court, according to local coverage, and prosecutors have pointed to the ongoing investigation and court filings in their public statements about the crash.