A 20-year-old UNC-Chapel Hill student caused a fatal car accident on Interstate 85 in July 2015 killing three people. Chandler Kania was driving the wrong way on the highway for approximately six miles before his vehicle crashed into a sedan that had a driver and three passengers in it.
As a result, the driver of the sedan and two other passengers were killed, including a 6-year-old girl. The fourth passenger was hospitalized with serious injuries but survived, and Kania was treated at the scene for non-life-threatening injuries.
The friends of Kania testified to more than 24 hours of drinking and using illegal drugs by the defendant leading up to the event.
A jury is being asked to decide whether Chandler Kania, 21, of Asheboro, is guilty of three felony second-degree murder charges and one misdemeanor reckless driving charge in the July 19, 2015, fatal wreck on Interstate 85/40, just west of Hillsborough.
Kania pleaded guilty to other charges, including three counts of felony death by motor vehicle, felony serious injury by motor vehicle and driving while impaired.
Drinking, Smoking Marijuana and Driving
Most Americans think that driving while high on marijuana isn’t that dangerous, however, marijuana does impair driving abilities, there aren’t data that show that it may increase traffic accidents or fatalities.
Researchers found that people who used marijuana were more likely to weave within their own lane, than people who were sober, but not more likely to weave out of their lane or speed. Drunk drivers, by contrast, were likely to do all three.