A Texas woman was arrested and charged with intoxication manslaughter in connection with a car crash that killed her 6-year-old daughter in March.
The Arlington Police Department announced that Courtney Getz was taken into custody in Arlington by the U.S. Marshals North Texas Fugitive Task Force on Tuesday, June 16.
Getz, 21, was charged with one count of intoxication manslaughter and one count of possession of a controlled substance.
The mother was charged in connection to a crash that took place in westbound lanes of Interstate 20 on March 25, according to the police department’s statement.
An investigation was launched into the crash, which determined that Getz had been driving a 2014 Nissan Sentra with two children in the backseat. As they headed westbound lanes of I-20 near the US 287 interchange, Getz allegedly rear-ended a dump truck at around 12:29 a.m.
Getz and the two children were injured and transported to nearby hospitals after the crash. Police said that Getz and the younger child suffered non-life-threatening injuries. However, her eldest child, 6-year-old Aviah Getz, later died from injuries sustained from impact. .
Investigators determined that Aviah was in a car seat at the time of the crash, though potentially unbuckled herself or was improperly restrained at the time of the collision.
The driver of the dump truck was uninjured, according to police.
Officers searched Getz’s car after the crash, and they allegedly found THC vape pens. Police then learned that Getz may have used THC before she got behind the wheel, and they obtained a search warrant to get a blood sample for Getz.
Police said that the results of the blood sample allegedly confirmed there was THC present in Getz’s blood at the time of the crash. Additionally, toxicologists with the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office said the results showed that Getz used THC within four to six hours of the time that she gave her sample.
“They indicated she may have been impaired and should not have been driving when the crash occurred,” police said in the statement.
Getz was taken into custody at the Arlington City Jail and was later transferred to the Tarrant County Jail, according to police.
It is not currently clear if Getz has entered a plea or retained legal counsel following her arrest. The Arlington Police Department told Us Weekly they have no additional information to share in the case as of time of publication.
