Man charged with DUI in crash that killed teen siblings in Lexington over the weekend
A man has been charged with driving under the influence in connection with a crash in Lexington Saturday that killed a brother and sister, both teens.
In addition to DUI, Zachary Smith, 30, has been charged with driving without registration plates and driving on a suspended license, Lexington police spokeswoman Brenna Angel said.
Zachary Smith, who is unrelated to the siblings, was found to have a blood-alcohol level of 0.299, which is more than three times the legal limit, according to court records.
Police were called to the crash on Athens Boonesboro Road near Blue Sky Parkway at about 6:55 p.m. They learned that a Ford Explorer driven inbound by Smith had crossed the center line and into the outbound lane, where it collided with a Mazda Protégé driven by 16-year-old Hailey Nichole Smith.
Hailey Smith and her 19-year-old brother, Andrew Lee Smith, died at the scene of the crash, the Fayette County Coroner’s Office said Sunday.
Hailey Smith was a student at Fayette County Public Schools’ Family Care Center, and Andrew Smith graduated from Bryan Station High School in 2020, said school district spokeswoman Lisa Deffendall. Grief counselors were available Monday to help students and staff.
A GoFundMe has been set up for the family of Hailey and Andrew Smith. The siblings were on their way to their mother’s house to celebrate Andrew’s birthday when the crash happened, their mother told LEX18.
The Lexington Police Department’s collision reconstruction unit is investigating the Saturday crash, Angel said. Additional charges against Zachary Smith are possible.
Autopsies were set to be conducted on Monday by the state medical examiner’s office in Frankfort, the coroner’s office said Sunday.
Zachary Smith has a pending DUI case in Rockcastle County, according to court records. In 2019, Smith was pulled over after an officer in Rockcastle County watched his vehicle cross the yellow line, according to an arrest citation in that case. The officer pulled him over, found a case of beer in the passenger seat and charged him with reckless driving and other charges.
Zachary Smith was released on bond in the Rockcastle County case in January of 2020, and in September 2020, a warrant was issued for his arrest on failure to appear, according to court records.
Smith is now being held in the Fayette County Detention Center, according to the jail website.
This story was originally published January 11, 2021 at 9:58 AM.
