Cheerleader killed by driver using breathalysing device
Image: Facebook
Alexis Butler was just 18 when she was killed in a car crash last week, and her death has raised questions.
The cheerleader from Arlington, Texas, died on Friday from injuries caused in an accident a week earlier.
“They really didn't think she would last that night and she was just a miracle,” her mother told Fox 4 News.
“I mean, every day she was getting a little better.”
Butler had graduated from high school in June of this year.
“She was larger than life – everyone loved Lexxy,” her parents said in a statement to NBC 5.
“Her legacy will continue to live on through her final selfless act of organ and tissue donation, which she elected.”
Related video: This documentary shows the life-changing effects a donated organ can have on others
Butler’s Toyota Camry was hit by a pickup truck as she reversed out of her driveway, according to NBC.
But police saw no tyre marks at the accident site – thus implying the driver hadn’t tried to stop.
The 31-year-old driver (who has not yet been identified) reportedly admitted to taking his eyes off the road for “three to four seconds” to do a breath test on his court-ordered ignition interlock.
NBC reports that the driver was “not impaired”, but the main concern of police is why he was using the device while driving, given the tragically proven safety-hazard.
“Number one thing we’ll look at is tracking down the original court order to read exactly what it said,” police Lieutenant Chris Cook told NBC.
It’s common, including in NSW, for interlock devices to require random re-testing while driving, to ensure the driver hasn’t just asked a sober person to initially start their vehicle.
But perhaps the findings of the investigation into Butler’s death will have a bearing on how these devices are used in future.
“It’s very concerning to us,” Cook continued, ”that an individual may be operating some type of ignition equipment while they’re in a moving vehicle.”
Butler’s friends and family are holding a memorial for her this week. Meanwhile, the driver has not yet been charged.
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