DALLAS – An alleged drunken driver is facing serious felony charges after a crash in Uptown Dallas that killed one person and injured two others.
What we know:
According to an arrest warrant affidavit, 26-year-old Preston Petty was believed to be under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol when he lost control of his 2025 Tesla and crashed into another car, killing the driver.
The report states a witness saw Petty speeding southbound on Cedar Springs Road in Dallas early Sunday evening.Â
He allegedly took a curve too fast, hit several trees, hit a median, and then went airborne before colliding with the driver’s side of a Porsche that was sitting at the light on Turtle Creek Boulevard. The impact flipped the Porsche, and the Tesla landed on top.Â
The driver of the Porsche, 29-year-old Emma Hackney, died in the crash. A passenger in the Porsche was critically injured, and so was Petty’s mom, who was with him in the Tesla.
According to the affidavit, Petty told officers he had crashed because his mom was trying to grab his phone, since he was driving with the phone in his hand.
An officer reported smelling alcohol on Petty. He denied being under the influence, but admitted he was going back to the house to drink wine.
What they’re saying:
People who frequent the area told FOX 4 that stretch of road is dangerous.
“This breaks my heart because this is something that is not supposed to be happening. This is a chill area. People should be driving safely around. They should take care more about the other people. So it breaks my heart. So sad to hear about it,” said Jaime Balon, who works nearby.
What’s next:
Petty is now charged with intoxication manslaughter and intoxication assault causing serious bodily injury.
The affidavit states a detective recovered a thumb drive from the Tesla that could provide more details about how fast Petty was driving at the time of the crash.
The Source: The information in this story comes from the Dallas Police Department and an arrest warrant affidavit for the suspect.