On January 10, 2018, a street racing crash killed two children and severely injured a woman in Cedar Park, Texas. The two drivers held responsible-21-year-old Blake Kirkpatrick and 18-year-old Hayden Hammer-were drag racing on the westbound lanes of West Whitestone Boulevard prior to crashing into the unfortunate family. Police said the two children, 1-year-old Daniel Chaudhary and 8-year-old Elijah Chaudhary, were pronounced dead on the scene. The biological mother to Daniel and stepmother to Elijah, Zara Salman, was severely injured and left with a life-altering brain injury. The collision occurred between a black 2008 Dodge Ram truck driven by Hammer and a 2016 Nissan Rogue driven by Salman.
An officer called Kirkpatrick to ask him about what happened that day. He allegedly described pulling up next to the Dodge and said that the female passenger began gesturing to him and laughing as they passed him. According to the Williamson County District Clerk’s office, Hammer and Kirkpatrick were indicted on two counts of racing on a highway and causing death and one count of racing on a highway and causing serious bodily injury.
The father of the two children, Salman Chaudhary, is suing for his two children that were killed and his wife that was left with a brain injury. The lawsuit claims negligence against the owners of the vehicles driven by Kirkpatrick and Hammer as well as the drivers themselves. The lawsuit further claims that a woman that was riding with Hammer did not try to stop them from racing. The lawsuit seeks at least $1 million in damages.
If you or someone you know has been injured or killed due to another driver’s negligence, contact an experienced attorney at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner by calling (713) 222-7211 or toll free at 713-222-7211.