Lauren Coleman, 3, Jordan Coleman, 4, and Jaylen Coleman, 6, killed, and Cazhara Lovett injured in crash with racing vehicles on Moreland Avenue in Atlanta, Georgia
Modified Date:
Fri, 12/15/2017 - 8:17amAccident Date:
Sunday, April 12, 2015
High-speed crash kills two children on Moreland Avenue
Both face charges of first-degree vehicular homicide and reckless driving. Parish said investigators are looking into whether Putnam and Benford were racing along Moreland Avenue at the time of the crash.
2 kids die following Moreland Ave. crash; investigation continues
DeKalb jail records show that Benford, of Lithonia, was booked into the jail just before noon Monday. Putnam, of Fayetteville, has not been booked into the jail, according to the online records.
Third child dies from crash in suspected illegal DeKalb drag race
Relatives told Channel 2 Action News Tuesday that the third child, 6-year-old Jaylen Coleman, also died Saturday.The funeral is 1:30 a.m. Wednesday at Central Holiness Church, the station reported.
Drivers sentenced in crash that killed three children
James Benford will spend the next 30 years behind bars and Melanie Putnam was sentenced to one year in prison following a crash in April of 2015.
DeKalb County police are investigating whether two drivers were street racing at 10:45 Sunday when they collided with a car, killing two children and critically injuring a third. Lauren Coleman, 3, and Jordan Coleman, 4, died in the collision, and their brother Jaylen Coleman, 6, is hospitalized in stable condition. The children's mother Cazhara Lovett was driving a Chrysler Seabring on Moreland Avenue and went to turn left onto Constitution Road when two cars, a Lexus and Chevrolet Monte Carlo, crashed into her vehicle. One child was ejected from the Seabring. The mother's injuries were not life-threatening. The driver of the Lexus is identified as Melanie Putnam, and the driver of the Monte Carlo is James Benford.
Why every fatality from a crash is not legally a wrongful death
After someone dies in a motor-vehicle accident, grieving family members and friends are often left with many questions. What caused the accident? Could it have been avoided? What do they do now that their loved one is gone?
Sometimes a fatal collision happens through no one's fault. Crashes caused by weather and road conditions, or by wildlife in the roadway, are examples. But when a fatal crash is caused by negligence, then family members should pursue a wrongful death claim, to uphold the victim's rights and begin the financial recovery process. Learn more about wrongful death claims here.
Type: Car Accident
People Involved:
Lauren Coleman
Jordan Coleman
Jaylen Coleman
Cazhara Lovett
Melanie Putnam
James Benford
Roadway:
Moreland AvenueCity:
Atlanta, GACounty:
Fulton County, GAArea:
Atlanta, GA
Comments
I see Ms. Putnam is traveling
I see Ms. Putnam is traveling freely in Fayette county and out of state, what is the status of these charges... She seems to have forgotten them.
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