Fox5 recently reported that a judge has ordered a trial for an unlicensed 19-year-old driver who struck and killed a 54-year-old driver and his 13-year-old son in Poway on February 12, 2021.
The accident happened just after 7:00 p.m. when the elder victim pulled his Toyota sedan out of the parking lot of the Poway High School into the path of a southbound Mercedes being driven by the teen driver.
The driver of the Toyota was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash while his 13-year-old son was rushed to Lady’s Children’s Hospital. The boy reportedly died en route to the medical center.
The teen driver of the Mercedes was also injured in the accident. He was taken to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. He was not immediately placed under arrest.
Court documents indicate that the 19-year-old Donald Lee Farmer driver only had a provisional license at the time of the fatal accident. A provisional license requires a fully licensed driver over the age of 25 to be in the vehicle at the same time. Farmer was alone at the time of the fatal crash.
A reconstruction of the crash scene indicated Farmer had been driving an estimated 90 miles per hour. Eyewitnesses to the crash told the court that Farmer was overheard asking someone to remove the marijuana from his vehicle.
During the investigation, 10 to 15 THC cartridges were found in his vehicle, with more that were discarded in bushes near the crash scene. During an interview with police, Farmer indicated that he had taken Xanax earlier that day.
Farmer was arrested on Tuesday, May 4, 2021. A North County Judge set Farmer’s bail at $250,000 pending a jury trial. Farmer has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. A trial date has not yet been set.
