Inset: Anissa Bell (McLennan County Sheriff”s Office). Background: The intersection where Bell allegedly caused a crash in Waco, Texas (Google Maps).
A Texas woman has been arrested in connection with a multi-vehicle accident that resulted in severe injuries to a young boy, including an internal decapitation, according to Texas law enforcement officials.
Anissa Cantrell Bell, aged 45, faces charges of first-degree felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, along with two counts of second-degree felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
The incident took place in February at the intersection of Gholson Road and Hicks Drive in Waco, a city situated about 100 miles northwest of Austin.
On the night of February 20, around 11 p.m., Bell was reportedly driving her GMC Acadia at a high speed and in a reckless manner. She attempted to overtake two vehicles in a no-passing zone, as per an arrest affidavit reported by local CBS and Telemundo affiliate KWTX.
Authorities noted a close call during the incident.
“While passing those vehicles, it nearly collided with an oncoming vehicle, but that vehicle was able to move out of the way,” the affidavit stated.
But then came the crash.
Bell eventually collided head-on with a southbound Chevrolet Equinox, authorities say. The Equinox then collided with a Kia Forte.
The crash was captured by security cameras owned by a nearby business, according to law enforcement.
An accident reconstruction investigation suggests Bell was driving 67 mph in a 45 mph zone 4.5 seconds before the crash, authorities say. But the defendant did appear to brake — slowing down to 51 mph less than a second before the impact, according to investigators.
At the scene, several people were found injured. Bell, the other drivers, and a 7-year-old boy passenger were rushed to a local hospital.
The boy suffered severe injuries to his neck and head that left him permanently paralyzed, authorities said. An internal decapitation is a catastrophic injury in which the skull separates from the spinal column due to torn ligaments, while skin and muscles remain intact.
Inside Bell’s vehicle, Waco Police Department officers found a half-empty bottle of tequila, according to the charging document.
Officers who met Bell at the hospital “noted that her speech was very slurred and she appeared confused,” the affidavit alleges.
Some 50 minutes after the crash, authorities determined the defendant’s BAC was 0.22 — roughly three times the legal limit, according to law enforcement.
On Tuesday, Bell was arrested and detained in the McLennan County Jail. She was subsequently released on a personal recognizance bond in the amount of $100,000.
