A teenage Texas cheerleader died on Friday one week after her car was smashed by a driver who took his eyes off the road to perform a breath test on his court-ordered device meant to prevent drunk driving.
Butler succumbed to her injuries at the hospital.
The 31-year-old driver of the truck has not been identified or charged with any crime. His car had an ignition-interlock device that turns off a car if the driver is above the legal alcohol limit.
Police say there were no skid marks on the road near the crash, indicating that the driver of the truck did not see Butler pull out in front of him and did not slow down to avoid a collision.
“Number one thing we'll look at is tracking down the original court order to read exactly what it said,” Lt. Chris Cook said.
“And more importantly for us as a police department, is to determine what the manufacturer recommendation is as far as the guidelines in how to operate this type of equipment,” Cook added. “It’s very concerning to us, as a police department, that an individual may be operating some type of ignition device while they’re in a moving vehicle.”
The driver of the truck was not under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash, police said, adding that charges may still be filed once they have more information.
Butler’s family said that the girl was “larger than life” and was selfless even in death by choosing to donate her organs.
“She will continue to touch lives even in death,” the family said in a statement. “We know we’ll see Lexxy again in Heaven and she’ll be an angel watching over us.”
“Everyone loved Lexxy,” the statement said. “She touched so many lives in just her short 18 years, more than most will touch in a lifetime.”
Police are reconstructing the crash scene and looking into the event data recorder.
If the family or police decide to file charges, a district attorney would decide if the case goes to a grand jury.
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