Woman, two 8-year-old boys killed when hit by drunk driver in Jefferson County
By Carol Robinson | crobinson@al.com
Jefferson County, AL
A woman and two young children were killed early this morning when authorities say they were hit by a drunk driver in eastern Jefferson County.
Those dead are a 47-year-old woman, and two 8-year-old boys. Authorities have not yet released their names.
The blood alcohol level of the motorist who struck them was more than twice the legal limit, said Jefferson County sheriff's Chief Deputy Randy Christian, and he is now charged with three counts of murder.
Deputies were dispatched just after 11 p.m. to the intersection of Alabama Highway 79 and Jefferson State Parkway on a report of a traffic accident with injuries. They arrived to find a white Dodge van had collided with a red Mitsubishi.
Two of the backseat passengers from the Mitsubishi, the 47-year-old woman and an 8-year-old boy, had been ejected and were pronounced dead on the scene. Christian said a second 8-year-old boy was found still in the backseat of the car. He was also pronounced dead on the scene.
The 39-year-old female driver and a 71-year-old woman who was a front passenger, both from Birmingham, suffered serious injuries and were transported to the hospital. Christian said the driver was the stepmother of one of the boys that was killed. The other boy was his friend.
Witnesses and evidence indicated the van was traveling northbound on Alabama Highway 79 at a high rate of speed. The Mitsubishi was crossing from Jefferson State Parkway to travel south on Alabama Highway 79. The van struck the Mitsubishi in the driver's side, Christian said.
The driver of the van, 45-year-old Lawrence Jason Bewley, of Birmingham, was not injured. Christian said the sheriff's Traffic Accident Reconstruction Team (START), evidence technicians and Criminal Division detectives responded along with Patrol Deputies.
While questioning Bewley, Christian said, deputies discovered that he appeared to be under the influence of alcohol. He was arrested and charged with DUI.
Bewley was taken to the Jefferson County Jail in Birmingham where a test indicated his blood alcohol content was more than twice the limit. He was then also charged with three counts of murder. He remains jailed this morning with bond set at $187,500.
"This will be devastating news for these families. The fact that it happened a few days before Christmas makes it all the more heartbreaking if that's possible,'' Christian said. "Our hearts and prayers are with the family. This will be an incredibly sad and difficult time for them. God be with them."