Street racer who fled after Texas crash that killed 2 boys avoids prison time
One of two drivers in a Texas street racing crash that resulted in the deaths of two young children will avoid prison time, according to media reports.
Blake Kirkpatrick was 21 years old when he was street racing in 2018 on a busy Cedar Park road with Hayden Michael Hammer, then 18, according to KXAN. Hammer’s vehicle crashed into an SUV with a family of three inside, the TV station reported.
Daniel Chaudhary, 1, and Elijah Chaudhary, 8, were killed in the crash, KENS reported.
Kirkpatrick pleaded guilty to racing on a highway causing death, a second-degree felony, and was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years on probation, according to Williamson County District Attorney Shawn Dick.
He will serve a 60-day term in county jail along with three days back in jail on the next 10 anniversaries of the crash, Dick said.
His license will also be suspended for a year, KXAN reported.
Hammer, who left the scene of the crash, was sentenced last year to seven years in prison and will be eligible for parole after half of his sentence is complete, according to KLBJ. Family members slammed the sentencing duration, saying it was not enough, the radio station reported.
Witnesses say Kirkpatrick initiated the Jan. 10, 2008, crash, according to KEYE. He revved the engine of his Ford F-250 pickup truck at Hammer’s Dodge Ram, leading to the street race, the station reported.
Surveillance video showed the trucks “traveling at accelerating speeds in a competitive attempt to outdistance each other,” according to KEYE.
The sound of the collision could be heard a few seconds later, KXAN reported.
“Based on the insights we learned from (Hammer’s) trial as well as the specific facts of Mr. Kirkpatrick’s involvement, level of responsibility, and acceptance of guilt, we agreed to resolve Mr. Kirkpatrick’s case without an additional trial,” Dick said in a statement to McClatchy News. “His probation was carefully crafted to serve as a reminder that he played a role in the death of two innocent lives for the full 10-year probationary period.
When Hammer was sentenced in September, prosecutor Leslie Booker said probation was not appropriate in the case, KVUE reported.
“Young people cannot go racing on a major highway at 3:30 in the afternoon, putting everybody at risk,” Booker said.
This story was originally published July 1, 2020 at 12:27 PM.