Getting Answers: criminal charges Chicopee driver could face after fatal crash

CHICOPEE, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - A family is remembering their 13-year-old boy who died in a fiery car crash into a home on Montgomery Street in Chicopee early Saturday morning. Three other teenagers survived the crash, and the homeowner suffered serious injuries after being hit by the car.

Western Mass News is getting answers from the legal standpoint in this type of case.

13-year-old Da’Vant Byrd of Holyoke has now been identified as the person who was killed in the fiery car crash.

The Hampden District Attorney’s Office released an updated statement on Tuesday about the circumstances of that crash. Chicopee Police first located the vehicle traveling at a high speed on Broadway Street, which led the officer to conduct a traffic stop on Montgomery Street. As the officer approached the car, the driver took off at a high-rate speed on Montgomery Street when the car then crashed into the home.

According to the District Attorney, first responders were able to extricate 3 of the people inside the car, ages 17, 18, and 19, and transport them to Baystate Medical Center for treatment of visible minor injuries. The fourth, 13-year-old Da’Vant Byrd, was unable to be freed before the car became fully engulfed in flames. He was pronounced dead on scene.

“Obviously, a very tragic situation. I think the driver is probably looking at some sort of negligent homicide, perhaps manslaughter charge. Obviously, reckless operation charge, as well,” said attorney Jeremy B. Powers. “There’s a large discrepancy as to what the person is charged with, what they could face, but certainly, the possibility of state prison time is very likely, if not probable, given the underlying circumstances. Also, it appears there are two potential victims in this case, so that would perhaps amend or aggravate the sentence.”

The homeowner, Joey Lucia, was inside the room where the vehicle crashed into the wall and struck him, leaving him seriously injured. We asked Powers if Lucia could press charges against the driver.

“The district attorney’s office would file the criminal charges against the driver,” he told us. “The homeowner would be under the auspices of the district attorney’s office.”

An investigation remains ongoing by the Hampden District Attorney’s Office, but two separate GoFundMe accounts have been created – one for Lucia and one for the teenager who died, Da’Vant Byrd. Tributes and donations continue to pour in from the community on both pages.

Meanwhile, Holyoke Public Schools Superintendent Anthony Soto released a statement to Western Mass News that reads, in part:

“It is with great sadness that I can now confirm for you that one of our Holyoke Middle School students died in a car accident on Saturday.... We have extra counseling support available, and we will maintain that extra support for as long as we need.”

You can donate to Da’Vant Byrd’s GoFundMe here, and you can donate to the homeowner, Joey Lucia, here.

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