Monroe prom night fatal crash: 7 things to know one year later

Kaylie Jackson died in April 2018 after a car crash on the way to the Monroe High School prom.

Her friend, Chynna Brandon, was driving at a high rate of speed on hilly Millikin Road in Liberty Twp. when she lost control of her dad’s Tesla, police said. Brandon eventually plead guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide and was sentenced to rehabilitation.

 

Here are seven things to know about the incident:

1. About the crash

The crash occurred at around 6:15 p.m. April 27 on Millikin Road near Butler Warren Road in Liberty Twp. Brandon, 17, lost control of the 2013 Tesla, went off the hilly road into a ditch, and crashed into a telephone pole. Jackson, 17, was a back seat passenger and not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash, she was ejected and died in the hospital three days later.

RELATED: ‘I can’t sleep, I have anxiety, I have depression’: Student injured in fatal Monroe prom night crash sues driver

2. The victims

Mitchell Foster Jr., 18, a senior at Monroe High School, said he was sitting in the front passenger seat. He suffered facial fractures, a broken jaw and a broken nose and said he “blacked out” for about two hours and remembers nothing about the crash scene or being extricated from the vehicle. Jackson’s boyfriend, Tanner Allford, 17, was in the back with her. Brandon and the two young men were treated at University of Cincinnati Medical Center, then released that Sunday.

3. The causes

Officials said speed was a factor in the crash and court documents revealed “occupants from the vehicle stated there were text messages or video sent prior to the crash concerning possible speed and reckless driving.” Other court documents claim Brandon was driving “at or near” 112 mph.

4. The charges

About two weeks after the crash Brandon was charged with aggravated vehicular homicide and vehicular assault in juvenile court. Butler County Prosecutor Mike Gmoser decided to keep charges against Brandon in the juvenile court system because the investigation revealed “no intentional conduct” to raise the severity of the charges.

5. Lawsuit filed

Jackson’s parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Brandon and her parents June 1. In the lawsuit, Jackson’s parents allege the driver and her parents are “jointly and severally liable” for compensatory and punitive damages because her actions “constitute in whole or in part malicious, reckless, wanton and willful conduct and constituted a conscious disregard for the rights and safety of plaintiffs.”

The teen driver’s parents are named in the lawsuit because they “negligently entrusted” the vehicle to their daughter, according to court documents.

MORE: Teen admits guilt in fatal Monroe prom night crash

6. Court case

In December Brandon entered a plea of true to aggravated vehicular homicide and two counts of aggravated vehicular assault. The true plea is the equivalent of guilty in adult court. She was sentenced to up to six months

at the Miami Valley Rehabilitation Center in Xenia, where she was receiving mental health treatments.

“I will never be forgiven for what happened,” Brandon told those in the courtroom. “I will always be hated by families and everyone involved.”

7. Another victim joins lawsuit

This week Allford joined the lawsuit against Brandon. The complaint alleges he suffered numerous injuries in the crash, including traumatic brain damage and a “major” laceration of the liver. It also says he “is suffering from PTSD, nightmares of the crash and psychological trauma associated with the death of his girlfriend.”

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