The driver who allegedly caused a six-car pile-up in Elyria earlier this year that resulted in the death of a 6-year-old girl has been charged with aggravated vehicular homicide.
Donald Buchs, 24, was indicted Thursday on charges of aggravated vehicular homicide, aggravated vehicular assault, vehicular assault and OVI. Police say Buchs was under the influence of marijuana at the time of the crash. He was arrested Friday.
Alia Bailey died from injuries she sustained in the January crash.
Alia and her mother Nancy Burnett were in their red Ford Explorer at the Route 57 and Cleveland intersection in Elyria when a truck, driven by Buchs, plowed into them. The Ford F-350 hit with such force, they went flying into the intersection hitting other cars.
The filing of charges was delayed for several months because authorities were awaiting the toxicology results.
When reached Friday, Burnett she was pleased to see those charges filed despite the delay.
“If that’s what it takes to take time to make sure everything goes right, all the charges are right, then I’m okay with that," she said.
Burnett received the news of her daughter's death while in the hospital being treated for her own severe injuries. She had to undergo multiple surgeries and said every day without her only child is still painful.
"I wake up and its just kinda like...ok, what am I going to do today?" she said, "Because my life was really her life.”
