A mother was charged after twin 6-year-old boys were killed on May 26 when she slammed head-on into an oncoming vehicle.
Jennifer Lynn Knox was driving a BMW in Pickens County at around 10 p.m. when she tried to pass a vehicle towing a boat, South Carolina troopers told WYFF. But she didn’t gauge the distance correctly and slammed head-on into a Kia that was heading the opposite direction.
The BMW flipped over and slid on the highway upside down before hitting a culvert and flipping over again.
Knox and her twin sons, who were in the backseat and not wearing seatbelts, were ejected from the vehicle. The coroner said that Knox was also not wearing a seatbelt.
HEARTBREAKING: A South Carolina mother has been charged with felony DUI after flipping her BMW, killing her 6-year-old twin boys Dylan and Camryn. https://t.co/EXsFUE2Yrx
— FOX 46 Charlotte (@FOX46News) May 28, 2019
The boys were pronounced dead from the scene while Knox was airlifted to a hospital for treatment. The Kia driver was not injured.
Knox was charged with two counts of felony driving under the influence resulting in death, two counts of child restraint violations, child endangerment, and a seat belt violation.
Knox was still at the hospital receiving treatment but would be transferred to the Pickens County Detention Center after she was released from the hospital, Joe Hovis with the South Carolina Highway Patrol told Fox Carolina.
According to WSPA, the area where Knox attempted to pass the vehicle on the two-lane highway is a no-passing zone.
The mother of these two 6-year-old boys now faces two counts of felony DUI resulting in death, among other charges. https://t.co/CeYWAxgJiY
— WSLS 10 (@wsls) May 28, 2019
South Carolina law dictates drivers and passengers wear seatbelts and adults in the vehicle are responsible for making sure minors wear seatbelts.
“South Carolina’s safety belt law requires that every driver and every occupant of a motor vehicle … must wear a fastened safety belt that complies with all provisions of federal law for its use,” according to the South Carolina Department of Public Safety.
“The driver is charged with the responsibility of requiring every occupant 17 years of age or younger to wear a safety belt.”
The boys’ aunt and county coroner identified the boys as Dylan and Camyrn. The aunt said that their father was working on getting them to Florida from South Carolina.
Twin brothers, 6, thrown from car, killed, during crash; mother charged with DUI, troopers say https://t.co/5llj2yDSxA pic.twitter.com/S3Gq3XfdrL
— WYFF News 4 (@wyffnews4) May 28, 2019
“They had been out there roughly about a year and There was already plans for the boys to return to their Dad in Florida later this week before the accident occurred. The Whole Family is Just in Total Shock and Devastation over this,” wrote the aunt, Pamela Purl, on a GoFundMe page she launched.
“It is Truly Heartbreaking. Truly Heartbreaking losing a child……..Totally Devastating losing twins boys at the same time. RIP Little Warriors Fly High and Know that You are Truly Loved and Missed Every Second of Every Day,” she said.
“Such Loving little Boys that Loved to Play and Enjoyed going fishing and taking walks to the park, playing with their older Brother Billy Clark Jr and all their friends. They had Big Hearts and Eyes that Sparkled and Were Just So Loveable their Smiles Could Melt any Heart. So Young and Innocent. Words Just Can’t Even Begin to Describe.”
According to statistics from the Department of Transportation, analyzed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, South Carolina the most deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled in the nation with 1.80.
