— A Dodge Challenger test drive took a deadly turn when the driver test driving the car drove more than 120 mph in a 45 mph zone and crashed into another vehicle, killing a mother of two children.
Now a lawsuit argues the dealership, a dealer salesman and the Dodge Challenger driver should pay at least $1 million for the deadly crash.
The Texas lawsuit was filed against Lithia Motors (All American Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram of Odessa), car salesman Kenneth Salas, and Benjamin Kyle Meece who was behind the wheel of the 2021 Dodge Challenger during the test drive.
On the morning of June 7, 2024, dealer salesman Salas and potential buyer Benjamin Meece prepared to set out for a test drive from the All American dealership in a 2021 Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack.
The pair traveled in the 4800 block of East University Drive in Odessa when the Challenger approached an intersection after traveling 124 mph. At the same time, Quma Carrillo, 47, drove her 2005 Honda Accord westbound in the 4900 block of East University and then attempted to turn left onto Oakwood Drive.
According to the lawsuit, the Dodge Challenger slammed into the Honda Accord while traveling nearly three times the posted speed limit of 45 mph.
Data from the Challenger showed the car had 100% throttle and reached speeds up to 124 miles per hour.
Honda driver Quma Carrillo was ejected from her vehicle, then her daughter Natasha, "came upon the accident scene by happenstance when driving to get a coffee and saw her mother’s lifeless body laying on the street."
Dodge Challenger driver Benjamin Meece, 37, fled the crash scene and was found hiding under plywood in a backyard.
Meece and dealer salesman Kenneth Salas sustained injuries in the crash, but Quma Carrillo was killed.
The lawsuit alleges the salesman should have never allowed Meece to drive in such a reckless manner, but the plaintiffs claim salesman Salas was known for allowing dangerous test drives of sports cars.
The lawsuit references an online comment from 2022 when Salas sold a Ford Mustang Shelby and said he and the new Mustang owner had “a hell of a test drive” in the Mustang Shelby.
Records show Meece has been arrested more than 25 times since 2005 for various charges, including reckless driving.
The Dodge Challenger test drive lawsuit was filed in the District Court of Ector County, Texas: Natasha Hitchcock, et al., v. Lithia CJDO, Inc., Benjamin Meece, and Kenneth Salas.
The plaintiffs are represented by Zehl & Associates.