A California woman has been charged with automobile homicide following a tragic multi-vehicle crash on Interstate 15 in Utah, after police discovered she was browsing adult content on her mobile device moments before the impact.
Christine Chao, 44, of Rosemead, was formally charged on Tuesday, October 20, over the June 12 collision, according to court documents reviewed by local media.
Investigators stated that highway construction had slowed traffic to a near standstill when Chao failed to brake, crashing her SUV into the rear of a white sedan. The force of the impact pushed the sedan into a third vehicle, sending all three cars careening off the roadway.
Police investigates Christine Chao’s phone
Following the collision, Chao reportedly admitted fault to responding officers. A subsequent forensic examination of her mobile phone revealed that she had accessed an adult website less than two minutes before the crash occurred.
Victim remembered as a devoted family man
The collision resulted in the death of 66-year-old Scott LaVar Lichfield, who was a passenger in the rear seat of one of the impacted vehicles and suffered a fatal head injury.
Lichfield was widely remembered by his family and community as a gentle soul, a loving husband, grandfather, and Sunday school teacher who dedicated much of his life to youth mentorship and professional finance work.
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