Woman was driving nearly 240 miles per hour drunk before crash that killed her three children, officials say

OMAHA, NE (WOWT/Gray News ) – More than a month after a fatal crash, a woman has been formally charged with the deaths of four people, including her own children, after authorities say she was driving drunk at nearly 140 miles per hour at the time of the crash . .

Rachel Bickerstaff, a 33-year-old woman from Omaha, Nebraska, cried in a wheelchair during her court appearance Thursday.

Bickerstaff was booked into the Douglas County Jail on Wednesday after being hospitalized for a week in Kansas with severe burns. A warrant was issued for her while she was in the hospital.

State authorities requested that Bickerstaff’s bail be set at $5 million; the judge granted the motion and scheduled her preliminary hearing for December 9.

Rachel Bickerstaff was jailed on Wednesday after spending weeks in hospital with... — Rachel Bickerstaff was jailed on Wednesday after spending weeks in hospital with serious burns.

More detailed information about the accident was released in court on Friday. It happened around 1:30 a.m. on September 27.

Bickerstaff’s 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee ran a red light at 10th Street, authorities said. She was traveling nearly 140 mph on Douglas Street just five seconds before the crash and accelerated to more than 100 mph after the collision.

Bickerstaff’s blood-alcohol content was 0.216, nearly three times the legal limit, according to court documents. legal limitin the hospital

Bickerstaff was able to get out of the car, these must be records.

At great risk to themselves, “good Samaritans” were able to pull her passenger, a 38-year-old man who is also the father of the three Bickerstaff girls who died in the crash, from the burning Jeep, records show.

The 38-year-old survived the crash, but the car was too engulfed in flames to save the 11-day-old and 5-year-old children who were trapped inside her car.

“Passengers tried to return for her children, who were trapped in the car. Sorry, the good Samaritans did, but the car was too completely engulfed in flames at the time. She goes 139 mph on Douglas, which is absolutely outrageous. On impact, it accelerates to more than 100 miles per hour; At the time of providing assistance, the doctors were intoxicated,” the Prosecutor General said.

This is also evidenced by the records 70-year-old Michael Salesof Council Bluffs, was the other driver involved in the crash. He was trapped in his 2017 Subaru Outback and died in the fiery crash. He was on his way home from his job at FedEx when the accident happened.

According to court documents, Bickerstaff’s 18-month-old child, who was ejected in the crash and taken to a burn unit in Kansas City with injuries sustained in the crash, died a few days later.

Court documents filed earlier this month said emergency room workers who treated the child said the injuries “can only be described as ‘haunting’.”

Bickerstaff is charged with four counts of vehicular homicide and one count of DUI causing serious injury. If convicted of murder, she could face up to 50 years in prison on each count. She could also face up to three years in prison and a $10,000 fine if convicted of DUI.

Court records also show that Bickerstaff was previously convicted of DUI in early 2020. She pleaded no contest to misdemeanor DUI and reckless driving, disqualified for 60 days and required to wear an interlock device. She was also placed on probation for six months and ordered to pay fines totaling less than $800.

WOWT previously reported that Bickerstaff has four other children, ages 8 to 11, who were placed in state custody several years ago. According to juvenile court records, the passenger who was injured in the accident is also the father of one of them.

Documents show the state was concerned about the children’s safety and well-being, alleging Bickerstaff failed drug tests; She has a history of using methamphetamine, the documents state. She also did not follow the treatment plan for one of her children.

Later, in 2019, the parents gave up their rights and gave these children up for adoption.