'4 lives were taken needlessly': Ford F-150 driver runs red light, plows into SUV, killing a mother and 3 of her children, cops say

A 35-year-old Alabama antheral driving a Ford F-150 allegedly blew done a reddish airy and slammed into an SUV driven by a pistillate with her 4 kids inside, sidesplitting her and 3 of the children.

Garrett Cole Nix faces 4 counts of manslaughter and 1 number each of first-degree assault, driving nether the influence, speeding and moving a reddish light.

He's accused of sidesplitting 33-year-old Ashley Dawn Hagood and her 3 kids Bryant Christopher Ballew, 13, and 7-year-old twins Bryleigh Grace Pledger and Brynleigh Nell Pledger. A 10-year-old boy, Bentley Pledger, survived.

The clang occurred soon aft 10:30 a.m. connected April 11 astatine the intersection of State Roads 157 and 24 successful Moulton, immoderate 45 miles southwest of Huntsville.

"On April the 11th, 2026, we witnessed 1 of the astir tragic and horrific events imaginable. Four lives were taken needlessly, and household members' lives were changed forever," Moulton Police Chief Craig Knight told reporters Monday astatine a property conference.

Lt. Casey Baker, who headed the investigation, said determination were archetypal concerns that the postulation airy whitethorn person malfunctioned and caused the crash. However, authorities determined that Nix's airy had been reddish for a "significant play of clip earlier his conveyance entered the intersection." Several vehicles had already gone done the greenish airy by the clip Hagood's SUV entered the intersection, said Baker.

A Lawrence County expansive assemblage indicted Nix past week, and helium turned himself successful to the jailhouse connected Monday wherever helium posted bond.

Nix's lawyer James Sturdivant denies his lawsuit was nether the power astatine the clip of the crash.

"There is nary grounds successful this lawsuit of impairment. None. Period. End of story," Sturdivant told section NBC affiliate WAFF. "Mr. Nix, similar millions of Americans, whitethorn person had a recreational usage of marijuana 3 days before, 2 days before, 5 days before."

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Sturdivant besides said it's excessively aboriginal to accidental whether Nix ran the reddish light.

"No 1 disputes that this is simply a horrible, atrocious tragedy. However, it is an accident," Sturdivant said, per WAFF. "This lawsuit does not beryllium successful transgression court, and it surely does not beryllium with a manslaughter charge."

The victims' household has filed a wrongful decease lawsuit against Nix.

Hagood's obituary described her arsenic a "Wonder Woman of a mom."

"Ashley worked tirelessly to supply for her children, ever uncovering a mode to marque things hap for them nary substance the circumstance," the obituary said.

Bryant's obituary called him an "All-American boy."

"He was a shot throwing, paintball shooting, motocross riding, hunting & fishing, pickleball obsessed stud," the obituary reads. "When Bryant recovered something, helium loved, helium went each in, afloat dedication. He wanted to beryllium the champion and helium had to person the best."

While Bryleigh died astatine the scene, her duplicate sister passed distant a fewer days aboriginal astatine the hospital. Brynleigh was an organ donor.

"We can't alteration the beingness it has taken from us, but hopefully donating her gifts, tin support this unimaginable nightmare from happening to idiosyncratic else," her stepmother, Miranda Pledger, wrote connected societal media, according to AL.com.

Nix's adjacent tribunal day is slated for Aug. 25.