Britt Reid charged with driving while intoxicated in crash that severely injured 5-year-old girl
Former Kansas City Chiefs coach Britt Reid has been charged with driving while intoxicated during a February crash that severely injured a 5-year-old girl, prosecutors in Jackson County, Missouri, said Monday. Officials say Reid, the son of Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, was driving nearly 84 miles per hour just seconds before the crash.
The crash occurred on February 4 after Reid's truck hit a car that had run out of gas and then struck a second car driven by relatives of those in the first car, according to a police statement cited by CBS affiliate KCTV in February. Police said Reid smelled of alcohol and had bloodshot eyes, and told officers on the scene that he'd had "2-3" drinks, according to a search warrant obtained by the outlet. The 5-year-old was severely injured, and a 4-year-old sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
Prosecutors said Monday that Reid, 35, was driving under the influence and "acted with criminal negligence by driving at an excessive rate of speed, failing to be aware of a disabled vehicle, striking it and causing physical injury to a child in that vehicle, age 5." They also said an investigation determined Reid was driving at nearly 84 miles per hour 1.9 seconds before the crash.
Reid's blood alcohol concentration was 0.113, police said. The legal limit in Missouri, where the crash occurred, is 0.08.
Citing medical records, prosecutors said the 5-year-old, identified as Ariel Young, "suffered severe traumatic brain injury, a parietal fracture, brain contusions and subdural hematomas." An attorney for the family said in March that Young will "likely" suffer permanent brain damage from the crash.
In a March 27 statement obtained by KCTV, the family said Young "is getting a little better each day but she still has a long road to recovery."
"Britt Reid is out everyday living his normal life while she cannot, please don't let her story be forgotten," the family added.
Reid will surrender to police later Monday, prosecutors said. Officials have requested he be placed on GPS and alcohol monitoring.
Reid, who worked as an outside linebackers coach, was placed on administrative leave soon after the accident. His contract has since expired.
The Chiefs said Monday that the organization "remains steadfast in our concern for all who have been impacted by this tragic accident," adding that the team is "regularly in contact" with a representative for the family.