LOS ANGELES – The nurse facing murder and manslaughter charges for the fiery crash in Los Angeles that left six people dead and eight others injured last month was traveling 130 mph, according to court documents disclosed on Sunday.
Nicole Linton, 37, reportedly accelerated her Mercedes for at least five seconds before deliberately barreling into the busy intersection at South La Brea and Slauson avenues on Aug. 4 at about 1:40 p.m., court documents revealed, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Linton’s car blasted into cross traffic, striking at least five other automobiles, which set off a fire among the vehicular entanglement, Law Officer reported at the time.
The speed of 130 mph places her rocketing 30-40 mph faster than originally thought during the horrific collision that “almost resembled a war zone” in its aftermath, according to a California Highway Patrol official.
“Further analysis reveals that her speed at impact was in fact 130 mph and that she floored the gas pedal for at least the 5 seconds leading into the crash, going from 122 mph to 130 mph,” said the filing, which was released Friday, the New York Post reported.
Prosecutors discounted the claims that she lost consciousness by citing surveillance video and data from her Mercedes. According to court documents, Linton had “complete control over steering, maintaining the tilt of the steering wheel to keep her car traveling directly toward the crowded intersection.”
“This NASCAR-worthy performance flies in the face of the notion that she was unconscious or incapacitated,” the court filing asserted.
An expectant mother, Asherey Ryan, died in the crash, as did her 11-month-old son Allonzo, and her boyfriend Reynold Lester. The family was reportedly driving to a prenatal checkup at the time of the multiple person fatality.
Asherey Ryan, who was pregnant, died in the crash, along with her 11-month-old son. (Asherey Ryan/Facebook)
Two other women perished in the horrific wreck while six children and two adults sustained injuries.
Linton, who was also injured in the crash and made her first court appearance in August in a wheelchair, was charged with six counts of murder and five counts of vehicular manslaughter, prosecutors said. She was being held in lieu of $9 million bail at Los Angeles County’s Century Regional Detention Facility.
At the time of the crash, Linton was a registered nurse with Kaiser Permanente’s West Los Angeles Medical Center.
