Back on July 24, 2022, what should’ve been a romantic celebration of a couple’s relationship turned out to be a fatal tragedy after a car accident. Now, two years later, the driver is being charged with vehicular homicide.
According to reports, Javon Galette was celebrating his one-year anniversary with his partner, 23-year-old Ashleigh Mercado, and his partner’s 26-year-old sister with a night out on the town. The trio was driving down the road when suddenly Galette lost control of the car, jumped a sidewalk, and collided directly with a chain-link fence right outside of JFK Airport.
A pole from the fence smashed through the car’s windshield and gouged Galette through the chest. The pole went through Galette and then impaled the backseat passenger, Brigette Mercado. Emergency responders rushed Brigette to St. John’s Hospital, but they were unable to save her life.
Galette and Ashleigh Mercado were both taken to Jamaica Hospital. Galette had critical injuries, eventually needing to undergo surgery to remove one of his lungs. Ashleigh Mercado luckily only suffered from minor lacerations.
Eleven months after the horrific ordeal, Galette decided to take legal action against the city and the Port Authority. In the suit, he claims the city and Port Authority were both negligent in maintaining the fence. This lack of maintenance, according to the claim, contributed to the fence’s poor condition and caused the pole to fly through the windshield.
A few months after filing the claim, Mercado’s family joined in on the suit. This month, City attorneys working on the case attempted to get the charges dismissed entirely. When that didn’t work, they moved on to shifting the blame onto the driver.
NYPD’s Collision Investigation Squad investigated the incident. They determined that Galette was speeding at the time he lost control of the car. Queens prosecutors decided to indict Galette on charges including vehicular homicide, criminally negligent homicide, vehicular assault, and vehicular manslaughter. City attorneys are also claiming that Galette’s lack of wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash also caused or contributed to the alleged injuries.
While the civil claim continues to progress, Galette has been ordered to remain in jail without bail.
Vehicular Homicide and Manslaughter in New York
In New York, vehicular manslaughter in the first degree is a serious class C felony. Getting convicted could result in a sentence of up to 15 years in prison and substantial fines. On top of suffering criminal consequences, your driving privileges will also be revoked or suspended. Criminally negligent homicide is a class E felony that could result in up to 4 years in prison, and vehicular assault is a class E felony punishable by up to four years behind bars.
Have you been unfairly accused of vehicular homicide or manslaughter? Don’t hesitate to contact a criminal defense attorney that can help you come up with a solid defense strategy moving forward.
If you’re in Brooklyn or a nearby area, then our firm can help. Schedule a meeting with our firm now to discuss your charges in more detail with our best lawyers.
