The family of a doctor who had recently completed medical school and was killed in a fatal car accident is frustrated with the criminal justice system.
After examining the facts of the case, the Cobb County District Attorney offered the man charged in the accident that caused their loved one’s premature demise a plea deal where he will spend only one year in prison for the crime.
The plea deal was entered on Monday, May 1, and was not well received by the victim’s family.
Reports show Dr. Tyler Wallace did not have the right of way when he pulled out, and Brent Davis was drunk when his car collided with the doctor’s.
The 26-year-old died in 2020 after Davis crashed into his car while crossing a dangerous intersection in the Atlanta suburb of Smyrna, Georgia. An investigation into the case showed that while Davis had the right of way on that fateful night, he was impaired from drinking and arguably not cohesive enough to avoid the accident.
First responders had to cut the door off its hinges of the Chrysler to get Wallace out on Jan. 18, 2020.
Wallace, who worked as a physical therapist, died from injuries sustained in the crash two days later, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
A police arrest warrant issued to Davis around the incident noted Wallace turned left onto Highlands Parkway Drive from the Highlands Grove Business Park. Davis’ 2014 Toyota Tundra hit the driver’s side of Wallace’s 2016 Chrysler 200.
Davis’ speech was reportedly slurred. He denied being drunk and refused to take a sobriety test, according to the police report. However, police found several empty beer cans in his truck.
He “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 reportedly states.
This information is a part of the prompt that led Assistant District Attorney David Holmes to tell the judge he did not believe he had enough evidence to nail Davis, 49, on the first-degree vehicular homicide and driving under the influence of alcohol charges he was indicted on.
Davis’ legal team agreed saying, “The fact that he was DUI is truly irrelevant if he isn’t at fault,” in an interview with WSB-TV.
Wallace’s sister, Charisse Gilbert, said there has to be some accountability for Davis driving while under the influence.
Fault and circumstances, including the dangers of the intersection, also contributed to Davis’ sentence of 15 years in jail with 14 of those years served on probation.
“This is an issue that Smyrna needs to address. This is a very dangerous intersection,” Holmes said. “We believe this is the best potential resolution to this case giving the potential pitfalls at trial.”
Now, the family, his parents Tara and Valarie Wallace, and his sisters Charisse and Danielle, said they will start a foundation to continue the legacy of Wallace’s hard work — work he will never enjoy.
Gilbert held her brother’s white lab coat and said, “This is Dr. Tyler Wallace, our brother’s white coat. 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,” the bereaved sister continued.
In 2016, Wallace graduated from the University of Georgia. Three years later, he would receive a diploma from the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University.
