A freshman college student about to start at the University of Central Florida and his father were killed by a drunken driver with a history of previous DUI charges on their way to orientation.
Shane Lloyd, 50, and his 19-year-old son, Jakob Lloyd, were on their way to the Orlando university from their home in Colorado on Sunday when a woman, identified as 40-year-old Leslie Gehret, allegedly ran a red light and collided with their vehicle, according to a report from Fox 35 Orlando.
The father and son were on their way to the Orlando campus around 1 p.m. Sunday when the collision occurred, with Gehret’s white Jeep colliding with Lloyd’s Kia and sending it tumbling down the road.
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“It rolled about three-and-a-half times. It ended up on the roof of the car,” Chase Woodburn, a witness to the accident, told Fox 35. “I immediately put the car in park and ran there, and my fiancée called 911.”
Woodburn said he and other witnesses rushed to the aid of the Lloyds and Gehret, who he said was in “complete shock” and did not say a word to him.
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“She was in complete shock,” Woodburn said. “She was sitting in the car with her hands on the wheel just kind of looking side to side.”
The accident proved fatal for the father and son and prosecutors say Gehret is now facing her third DUI charge in addition to two counts of homicide and of manslaughter.
Gehret’s bond was set at more than $700,000.
Shane’s sister, Shannon Brown, told Fox 35 that her brother was her “hero” while her nephew had his whole life in front of him.
“My brother was my hero, so for this to be like a double whammy for our family, it’s hard to take all this in,” she said “They were just down there to get him ready to start, to start his life and his career.”
She noted that the family was appreciative of the witnesses who came to the aid of the father and son, but added that they are hoping for justice in the tragic case.
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“The third time, and this time she killed two innocent people. I hope that lawmakers pay attention to this kind of thing, there’s no excuse for it,” she said. “She’ll be forgiven and her family will be in our prayers too, because like I said it’s not just our family that’s hurting, her family’s gonna hurt too.”
Shane, an electrical engineer, leaves behind a wife and two sons, while Jakob was interested in pursuing a career in law or forensics.
“He was really going to make a difference, but that’s gone now,” Shannon said.
