Officials say woman was driving drunk at nearly 140 miles per hour before crash that killed her three children

OMAHA, Neb. (WOW/Gray News) – More than a month after a fatal crash, a woman has been formally charged with the deaths of four people, including her own children, after authorities said she was driving drunk at nearly 140 miles per hour at the time of the crash.

Rachel Bickerstaff, a 33-year-old woman from Omaha, Nebraska, cried in her wheelchair during Thursday’s court hearing.

Bickerstaff was incarcerated in the Douglas County Jail on Wednesday after a week of treatment at a Kansas hospital for severe burns. While she was in hospital, an arrest warrant was issued for her.

The state requested that Bickerstaff’s bail be set at $5 million; the judge agreed to the request and scheduled a preliminary hearing for December 9.

Rachel Bickerstaff was sent to prison on Wednesday after a week-long hospital stay with... — Rachel Bickerstaff was jailed on Wednesday after spending weeks in hospital for severe burns.

We learned more details about the accident in court on Friday. It happened just before 1:30 a.m. on September 27.

Authorities said Bickerstaff’s 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee ran a red light on 10th Street. Just five seconds before the crash, she was traveling on Douglas Street at almost 140 miles per hour and was traveling at more than 160 miles per hour at the time of impact.

Court documents show Bickerstaff’s blood alcohol content was 0.216, almost three times higher. legal limitin hospital.

According to the documents, Bickerstaff managed to get out of the vehicle on her own.

At great risk to themselves, the “good Samaritans” managed to pull her passenger, a 38-year-old man who is also the father of the three Bickerstaff girls who died in the crash, from the burning Jeep. records show.

The 38-year-old survived the crash, but the vehicle was too engulfed in flames to save the 11-day-old and 5-year-old who were trapped in her vehicle.

“Passengers tried to return for her children, who were trapped in the car. Sorry, the good Samaritans did it, but the vehicle was too engulfed in flames at that point. She’s going 130 miles per hour on the Douglas, which is completely outrageous. It is traveling over 100 miles per hour at the time of impact; While being treated by doctors, she appears to be intoxicated,” the prosecutor said.

The records also prove this 70-year-old Michael Salesof Council Bluffs was the second driver involved in the accident. He was trapped in his 2017 Subaru Outback and died in the fiery wreck. He was returning home from his job at FedEx at the time of the accident.

Court documents show that Bickerstaff’s 18-month-old child, who was ejected during the crash and taken to a Kansas City burn unit for injuries suffered in the crash, ultimately he died a few days later.

Court documents filed earlier this month show that emergency medical staff who treated the child said the injuries “can only be described as ‘disturbing.’

Bickerstaff was charged with four counts of vehicular manslaughter and one count of driving under the influence of alcohol causing serious bodily injury. If found guilty of the murder charges, she could face up to 50 years in prison on each charge. She could also face up to three years in prison and a $10,000 fine if convicted of DUI.

Court records also show Bickerstaff had a previous DUI conviction in early 2020. She pleaded no contest to misdemeanor DUI and reckless driving charges, which resulted in her losing her license for 60 days and requiring a device. blocking. She was also placed on six months’ probation and had to pay fines totaling just under $800.

WOWT previously reported that Bickerstaff has four other children, now believed to be between the ages of 8 and 11, who were placed in state custody several years ago. The case files show that the passenger injured in the accident is also the father of one of them.

The documents show that the state had concerns for the children’s safety and welfare, maintaining that Bickerstaff failed drug tests; Documents show that she used methamphetamine in the past. She also failed to follow a medical plan for one of her children.

Ultimately, in 2019, the parents waived their rights and the children were put up for adoption.