Driver in Fatal Wreck Had Previous DWI

Christine Haithcock Meyers, 41, of 1149 Blackbeard Lane in Raleigh, was charged with driving while impaired in connection with a wreck Tuesday night on Buffaloe Road at Westminster Drive east of Raleigh.

Ruben Dario Medina, 34, and 10-year-old Jefferson Medina, a third-grader at Rolesville Elementary School, were killed after a GMC Envoy crossed the center line and struck their Honda Accord head-on, authorities said.

A family friend and Ruben Medina's 4-year-old daughter were injured in the wreck. The girl has been released from WakeMed, but the family friend, whose name hasn't been released, was in a coma Thursday at the hospital.

The state Highway Patrol hadn't completed its report on the wreck Thursday, so there was no information on Meyers' blood-alcohol content.

Meyers was charged on Nov. 3 with DWI in Johnston County after Highway Patrol troopers spotted a car driving erratically on Interstate 40, according to court records. Her blood-alcohol content was measured at 0.11, above the state's legal limit of 0.08.

Her license was revoked for 30 days, and she paid a $50 reinstatement fee on Dec. 10, according to court records. Her trial in the case – she also was charged with having an open container of alcohol in her car – was scheduled for April 15.

Highway Patrol Lt. Cameron Taylor said Meyers was legally entitled to drive while she waited for her trial.

"She had done everything she was required to by state law," Taylor said. "There's nothing they can do to prevent that person from driving, as long as they can get alcohol and car keys. You can't have troopers sitting there 24 hours a day to monitor their moves."

Meyers was still in WakeMed Thursday after suffering injuries to her legs. She likely will face charges in the two deaths upon her release, authorities said.