ARLINGTON -- A 10-year-old Arlington boy died early Friday from injuries suffered in a two-vehicle wreck Thursday evening that investigators believe was alcohol-related.
Tavian Sabur, a fifth-grader at Cross Timbers Intermediate School, was pronounced dead at 4:26 a.m. at Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth.
Arlington police said Saturday that Walter Tendai Chidyausiku, 29, the driver of the SUV that struck Tavian's vehicle, has now been charged with intoxication manslaughter and is in the Arlington City Jail. Bail was set at $50,000.
Chidyausiku was originally arrested on two charges of suspicion of intoxication assault and police said he could face more serious charges pending the results of blood tests.
According to a news release by Arlington police, Tavian was a passenger in a Honda Accord driven by his mother when the wreck happened at about 6 p.m. Thursday at the intersection of Nathan Lowe Road and Petra Drive.
The mother had driven into the intersection, after stopping at a four-way stop, when her car was struck by a westbound SUV whose driver had not stopped, the release states.
Tavian was taken by ambulance to the Medical Center of Arlington and later flown by CareFlite to Cook Children's Medical Center, where he died Friday morning.
His death has been ruled a homicide caused by multiple blunt trauma suffered in the wreck, according to the Tarrant County medical examiner's office.
Tavian's mother was taken to John Peter Smith Hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, police said.
The SUV's driver, Chidyausiku, was not seriously injured. He was arrested at the scene of the crash after officers discovered indications that alcohol was a factor in the crash, the release states.
Tiara Richard, a police spokeswoman, said Chidyausiku was later released from jail after posting $10,000 bail on the original charges.
The boy's death was the 21st traffic fatality in Arlington this year.
Richie Escovedo, a spokesman with the Mansfield school district, said counseling was made available to students and staff members Friday inthe Cross Timbers school library and will be available again Tuesday.
He said counselors also visited Tavian's class, as well as Glenn Harmon Elementary School, where Tavian was previously a student.
"It did come as a tragic shock," Escovedo said.
Deanna Boyd, 817-390-7655
Comments