Inset: Anissa Bell (McLennan County Sheriff”s Office). Background: The intersection where Bell allegedly caused a crash in Waco, Texas (Google Maps).
A Texas woman was recently arrested for the role she allegedly played in a multi-vehicle crash that left a young boy internally decapitated, according to law enforcement in the Lone Star State.
Anissa Cantrell Bell, 45, stands accused of one count of first-degree felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and two counts of second-degree felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
The underlying incident occurred in February near the intersection of Gholson Road and Hicks Drive in Waco, a medium-sized city located roughly 100 miles northwest of Austin.
Around 11 p.m. on the night of Feb. 20, Bell was traveling quickly and recklessly northbound in her GMC Acadia while trying to pass two other cars in a no-passing zone, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by Waco-based CBS and Telemundo affiliate KWTX.
First came a near miss, authorities say.
“While passing those vehicles, it nearly collided with an oncoming vehicle, but that vehicle was able to move out of the way,” the affidavit reads.
But then came the crash.
Bell eventually collided head-on with a southbound Chevrolet Equinox, authorities say. The Equinox then collided with a Kia Forte.
The crash was captured by security cameras owned by a nearby business, according to law enforcement.
An accident reconstruction investigation suggests Bell was driving 67 mph in a 45 mph zone 4.5 seconds before the crash, authorities say. But the defendant did appear to brake — slowing down to 51 mph less than a second before the impact, according to investigators.
At the scene, several people were found injured. Bell, the other drivers, and a 7-year-old boy passenger were rushed to a local hospital.
The boy suffered severe injuries to his neck and head that left him permanently paralyzed, authorities said. An internal decapitation is a catastrophic injury in which the skull separates from the spinal column due to torn ligaments, while skin and muscles remain intact.
Inside Bell’s vehicle, Waco Police Department officers found a half-empty bottle of tequila, according to the charging document.
Officers who met Bell at the hospital “noted that her speech was very slurred and she appeared confused,” the affidavit alleges.
Some 50 minutes after the crash, authorities determined the defendant’s BAC was 0.22 — roughly three times the legal limit, according to law enforcement.
On Tuesday, Bell was arrested and detained in the McLennan County Jail. She was subsequently released on a personal recognizance bond in the amount of $100,000.
