Crime

Arlington mother arrested in crash that killed her 6-year-old daughter: police

Get breaking news alerts at star-telegram.com/newsletters.
Get breaking news alerts at star-telegram.com/newsletters. Star-Telegram illustration/Ricky Moon photo

An Arlington mother who is accused of driving while intoxicated was arrested Tuesday in connection with a crash in March that killed her 6-year-old daughter, Aviah Getz, and injured another child, police said.

Courtney Getz, 21, was taken into custody without incident and faces charges of intoxication manslaughter and possession of a controlled substance, Arlington police said in a news release.

U.S. Marshals North Texas Fugitive Task Force members found Getz in Arlington. She was booked into the Arlington City Jail and later transferred to the Tarrant County Jail, according to police.

March fatal crash

Officers responded to the westbound lanes of I-20 near the U.S. 287 interchange shortly before 12:30 a.m. on March 25 for a major accident between a 2014 Nissan Sentra and a dump truck, police said.

Investigators determined Courtney Getz, who was driving the Nissan, hit the rear of the dump truck. She and two children were taken to the hospital, where Aviah Getz died, according to police.

The driver of the dump truck was not injured, police said.

Police found THC vape pens in the Sentra and received information that Getz may have used THC the night of the crash. A search warrant for a blood sample confirmed the presence of THC in her blood, police said.

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office toxicologists said the results were consistent with Getz using THC within four to six hours of the blood draw, police said. “They indicated she may have been impaired and should not have been driving when the crash occurred,” according to the release.

Shambhavi Rimal
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Shambhavi covers crime, law enforcement and other breaking news in Fort Worth and Tarrant County. She graduated from the University of North Texas and previously covered a variety of general assignment topics in West Texas. She grew up in Nepal.
Get unlimited digital access
#ReadLocal

Try 1 month for $1

CLAIM OFFER