A 2021 Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack was being driven on a test drive by a possible buyer with a history of driving problems and a salesman who should have known better. The test drive ended in the death of a Texas woman.
Police in Odessa, Texas, found that the Challenger went as fast as 124 mph before the crash. Its average speed was between 115 and 121 mph. To give you an idea, the speed limit on this road was 35 mph. NewsWest9 says the woman, Quma Carrillo, a mother of three, was thrown out of her 2005 Accord Coupe and died soon after. To make things even worse, Natasha, one of her children, happened to be in the area of the accident and found her mother dead on the street. The driver, the dealer, and All American Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram of Odessa are now being sued by the family.
Ben Meece, the driver, ran away from the scene of the accident and was later found hiding under a sheet of plywood in a nearby garden. News from Automotive News says that he was held on suspicion of manslaughter, collision involving death, collision involving serious bodily injury, and aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury in connection with the crash. He was charged on July 30 with one count of major injury collision, two counts of aggravated attack with a deadly weapon, and one count of major injury collision.
An ambulance took both Meece and the seller, Kenneth Salas, away from the scene of the accident. People thought Salas had major injuries and said Meece might have injuries as well.
