‘My world is gone.’ Lexington mom mourns teen siblings; manslaughter charges added
The man accused of causing a weekend crash that killed two teenage siblings in Lexington has now been charged with two counts of second-degree manslaughter, but the siblings’ mother says the charges should have been more severe.
Zachary Smith, 30, was first charged with driving under the influence, operating on a revoked license and driving with no registration plates, according to court records.
Smith was driving a Ford Explorer inbound on Athens Boonesboro Road Saturday night just before 7 p.m. when he crossed the center line and collided head-on with a Mazda Protégé near Blue Sky Parkway, according to police.
The driver of the Protégé, 16-year-old Hailey Smith, was killed in the crash alongside her brother, 19-year-old Andrew Smith, according to the Fayette County Coroner’s Office.
Hailey and Andrew Smith’s mother, Brandy Workman, said that her children were on their way to her house to celebrate Andrew Smith’s birthday.
“The cake is still sitting on the counter with the icing Hailey wrote ‘Happy birthday Andrew’ with,” Workman said Wednesday. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with it.”
Andrew Smith, a recent graduate of Bryan Station High School, worked at Bluegrass Station and dreamed of running a reptile rescue, Workman said. Hailey Smith attended Fayette County Public Schools’ Family Care Center and would have turned 17 on Sunday. She left behind a 1-year-old daughter named Zoey.
Hailey Smith was known for being personable and funny, her mother said.
“She was a way better mother than even I am, she set the bar so high,” Workman said. “She loved her friends, loved her daughter, stood strong in her convictions, she was loved by so many people.”
Andrew Smith was known for his honesty, love of sports and love for his dog, Benjamin, Workman said. A person who fills vending machines at Bluegrass station, where Andrew Smith worked, contacted Workman this week to tell her about a time that he mistakenly left behind a bag of money. Andrew Smith found the money, and rather than keeping it, he was determined to track down to whom it belonged.
“My kids were so strong and independent,” Workman said. “I always taught them how to manage in this world in case they needed to be without me, but I never learned to be without them.”
While the two were independent, Hailey and Andrew Smith were very close and always relied on each other, Workman said.
“God took both of my babies because he knew one wouldn’t be able to live without the other,” Workman said.
A GoFundMe was set up for the family of Hailey and Andrew Smith and funds will be used for funeral expenses and “young Zoey’s future.”
It was just by chance that Hailey Smith’s daughter, Zoey, wasn’t in the car at the time of the fatal crash, Workman said.
“My world is gone,” Workman said. “I just have to be strong for Zoey and teach her how awesome her mom was.”
Zachary Smith, who is of no relation to Hailey and Andrew Smith, also has a pending DUI case out of Rockcastle County, according to court records. He had an outstanding warrant for failing to appear in that case when the Saturday crash occurred.
Workman is happy that the additional charges of manslaughter have been filed against Zachary Smith, but said that she thinks he should have faced more severe charges.
“He didn’t mean to murder my kids, but he meant to get behind that wheel knowing it was against the law in so many ways,” Workman said.
Second-degree manslaughter is a Class C felony punishable by five to 10 years in prison.
Smith is now being held in the jail website on a $55,000 bond, according to the jail website.
This story was originally published January 13, 2021 at 12:17 PM.
