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Driver in Huntington Beach Accident Might Have Been DUI
February 21, 2008

In August, we ran the story of Danny Oates, a 14-year-old Huntington Beach, California boy who was hit by a truck while riding his bike to school. It was the first day after summer vacation, but Danny never made it to school. The impact of the crash threw the teenager between 50 and 100 feet. He was killed instantly.

The driver of the truck, Jeffrey Woods, drove his truck onwards before hitting a tree and ended up in the backyard of a home. At the time, the incident seemed like an accident, and many were wiling to give Woods the benefit of the doubt. The media reported that he was devastated over the death of the young boy and racked by guilt.

The media got it all wrong, apparently. The Orange County Register reports that Huntington Beach police detectives filed an affidavit on February 13 requesting the cellular phone records of Jeffrey Woods at the time of the crash. They have reason to believe that Woods was involved in a drug deal at the time he crashed his truck into Danny, and that he might have also been under the influence of an opiate at the time of the crash.

Detectives seem to have sufficient reason to believe that the crash was not simply a matter of failing to see the young boy on his bicycle - it could possibly have been more criminal than that. Examination of Woods' cell phone after the crash revealed potentially incriminating text messages that were sent out at the time of the crash, or just before the crash occurred. In one message, Woods seems to have texted the message "Need bars? "Bars" is the slang name for Xanax, the prescription drug that contains the anti-anxiety drug Alprazolam. This drug is often prescribed to treat bipolar disorders and to relieve severe anxiety.

Slang names for other drugs like OxyContin and Vicodin were found in text messages on Woods' phone. The timing of the messages was too close to the time of the crash to discount the possibility that Woods might have been actually engaging in a drug deal at the time of the crash.

The police are looking to interview the persons who are mentioned in the text messages, hoping for clues as to whether Woods was in the process of acquiring or selling drugs at the time of the crash.

A further investigation of Wood's messages has revealed that he was trying for three days prior to the crash to obtain Xanax, but had to finally settle for Vicodin instead.

If the detectives manage to get access to the cell phone records and can prove that Woods was actually texting and was under the influence, it will add a whole new light on the Oates case. Texting while driving is reprehensible enough. Combine that with being under the influence of drugs, and you have a potent mix of DUI and cell phone misuse.

A young boy is dead because an alleged drug dealer was too busy trying to score his next fix to concentrate on the road. If the detectives are successful in proving Woods' actions at the time of the crash, we hope the Oates family will pursue legal action against Woods.

If you or a loved-one have been injured or killed in a bicycle accident, you need the help of a top California personal injury law firm. Contact a lawyer at The Reeves Law Group for a free consultation.

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