The eight-month investigation of a fatal crash on Interstate 95 has resulted in several charges — including DUI manslaughter — against a Hallandale Beach man, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
Joshua Javon Williams, 22, was at the wheel of a 2008 Chevrolet Malibu about 11:30 p.m. Aug. 9 when he lost control, veered into a guardrail on the east shoulder of I-95, bounced off and crossed every northbound lane, then struck a concrete barrier wall in the express lanes, killing passenger Malika Janae Royal, 27, and her unborn son, according to an FHP arrest report.
An investigation revealed neither Williams nor Royal was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash, which happened about 1,000 feet north of the Hallandale Beach Boulevard exit.
Royal, who was seven months pregnant, was pronounced dead at the scene. Williams was trapped in the wreckage and had to be extricated before being taken to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, the report stated.
Tests showed he had a blood alcohol level of .11, which is above Florida’s legal limit of .08, and toxicology test results later indicated the presence of marijuana in his system at the time of the crash, investigators said.
An examination of the car’s internal monitoring system indicated it was going 75 mph shortly before the initial impact and then 44 mph by the time it hit the barrier wall where it came to rest, the crash report showed.
Williams was arrested Tuesday.
In addition to charges of DUI manslaughter and DUI causing death to a human or unborn child, Williams is also charged with driving with a suspended license, and DUI causing property damage, records show.
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