Inset top: Laila Makaylea Jones (Obituary). Inset bottom: Jaren Kyreek Wilkerson (Obituary). Background: The scene after a white pickup truck crashed on Pittsburgh’s Liberty Bridge (WTAE/YouTube).
A Pennsylvania woman is facing criminal charges after authorities say she sped out of a tunnel while intoxicated, struck another vehicle, and caused a crash that killed two people trapped inside.
Madison Elizabeth Rau, 23, has been charged with offenses that include two counts of homicide by vehicle while DUI, aggravated assault by vehicle while DUI, and involuntary manslaughter, according to court records reviewed by Law&Crime.
The victims were identified as 28-year-old Jaren Wilkerson and 25-year-old Laila Jones.
Rau was allegedly speeding through Pittsburgh’s Liberty Tunnel on March 1 and exited at about 90 mph before crashing into two vehicles on the Liberty Bridge, according to a criminal complaint reviewed by local ABC affiliate WTAE. Investigators said the impact left Rau’s vehicle engulfed in flames.
Authorities allege Rau was under the influence at the time of the wreck, which left her, Wilkerson, and Jones trapped inside the vehicle. Open alcohol containers were reportedly found both inside Rau’s vehicle and at the crash scene.
When first responders arrived, they found Jones inside the vehicle with Rau lying on top of her, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Emergency crews removed Rau, while Jones was pronounced dead at the scene.
Wilkerson was pulled from the rear of the vehicle in critical condition and transported to a nearby hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
Rau’s medical records allegedly showed that she had a blood alcohol concentration of about 0.14%. She suffered fractures to her spine, femur, wrist, and ribs, as well as lacerations to her head.
No one from the other vehicles was seriously injured, police said.
Rau was arrested on Friday and appeared in court. She is scheduled to return on July 24 for a preliminary hearing.
Jones is remembered in a GoFundMe as having been an “incredible mother” to a 5-year-old boy, “an amazing friend, and a beautiful soul who touched so many lives with her fun, outgoing spirit.”
Wilkerson had “a passion for music and rapping,” his obituary states.
