A man who caused a crash in Cobb County that killed a young doctor will spend one year behind bars, according to the district attorney.
Smyrna police arrested Brent Douglas Davis at the scene of the January 2020 crash. His charges were upgraded after the man he hit, Tyler Wallace, died from his injuries.
After serving a year behind bars, Davis will spend 14 years on probation, according to the terms of his plea deal reached Monday. The 52-year-old from Smyrna was taken into custody and returned to the Cobb jail after the plea, booking records show.
Wallace, 26, was driving home to Fayetteville from a post-medical training class in Smyrna shortly after 6 p.m. on Jan. 18, according to his family. As Wallace turned left onto Highlands Parkway Drive from the Highlands Grove Business Park, Davis hit the driver’s side of the 2016 Chrysler 200 with his 2014 Toyota Tundra, police said in an arrest warrant.
During the crash investigation, “it was determined that the driver of the Toyota Tundra was traveling at 54 mph in a 45 mph zone, and the distance where the Chrysler would be in view of the Toyota Tundra there was enough distance and time for the driver of the Toyota Tundra to stop or avoid the Chrysler,” the arrest warrant states. “Further evidence shows the driver of the Toyota Tundra did not let off the accelerator and apply the brakes until approximately one second before impact, and the driver of the Toyota Tundra turned into the Chrysler when there was enough room to the left lane to avoid the vehicle.”
First responders cut the door off its hinges to free Wallace. The physical therapist and recent medical school graduate died from his injuries two days later.
Police at the scene asked Davis to step out of his truck to speak with them, the warrant said. An officer noticed he was unsteady on his feet and his speech was slurred, and there were beer cans in his truck.
Davis “had a heavy stutter, the smell of his Arby’s sandwich emitted from his breath, and (the officer) smelled the odor of either mouthwash or a breath mint,” the arrest warrant states.
After being charged with vehicular homicide and DUI, Davis was released in February 2020 on a $60,000 bond, court records show. In March 2021, he was indicted on two counts of vehicular homicide, but not DUI. The indictment states that Davis was driving under the influence of alcohol.
The dangerous intersection likely played a role in the crash, David Holmes, an assistant district attorney, said in court Monday, according to Channel 2 Action News.
“This is an issue that Smyrna needs to address,” Holmes said. “This is a very dangerous intersection. We believe this is the best potential resolution to this case given the potential pitfalls at trial.”
Wallace graduated from the University of Georgia in 2016 and then from the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University in May 2019, his family said. He began practicing physical therapy one month later.
In a Cobb courtroom Monday, Wallace’s family held his white doctor’s coat and displayed a large picture of him as his sister spoke, Channel 2 reported.
“This is Dr. Tyler Wallace, our brother’s white coat,” Charisse Gilbert said. “He earned this his first year in medical school in Augusta. We’ll never have an opportunity to enjoy the fruits of his labor, the fruits of his sacrifice, the fruits of his discipline, and neither will he.”
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