Pensacola, Fl
Authorities said Alabama neurosurgeon Dr. Jonathan Nakhleh, 36, was drunk and driving 138 miles per hour when he caused the accident that killed Samantha Alison Thomas, 24. Now he has been charged with manslaughter.
The accused’s blood alcohol level was above the statutory limit of 0.08 percent according to the authorities cited in the WKRG report. The test was pending, however, (at the time of this writing) no charges of poisoning have been filed.
“At this point, we do not consider that a material aspect of the case,” said Dennis Knizley, the Palm’s attorney, according to AL.com. “If that changes, we will definitely face it.”
The defendant was allegedly walking 138 miles per hour in District 45 on West I-65 Service Road. He spun his car in order to avoid another car and crashed off-road, according to the detective’s account. Thomas, a passenger in the defendant’s Audi car, died. Nakhleh received non-life injuries and filed a $ 200,000 bail on Wednesday.
Knizley suggested that the data from Audi were unreliable as it flipped. He confirmed that the accident was an accident. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for September 2.
Thomas’s family is working with the University of Southern Alabama to create a scholarship in her name, according to Fox 10. At the time of her death, she was in her third year of work pursuing a medical degree at the school.
