Woman charged for fatal Mother’s Day crash that killed 1, injured multiple people

LAYTON, Utah — A woman was booked for manslaughter after allegedly causing a fatal crash in Layton while intoxicated on Mother’s Day.

On Friday, Nicolette Tovey, 32, was booked into the Davis County Jail for felony charges of manslaughter, negligently operating a vehicle resulting in bodily injury, and misdemeanor charges of possession or use of a controlled substance, according to court documents.

On May 14 at approximately 7 p.m., first responders were called to a head-on crash involving two cars near 2300 W. Gordon Avenue.

According to court documents, Tovey was driving a Honda Pilot with her 2-year-old daughter in a car seat in the back when she swerved into oncoming traffic, hitting a gray Toyota Corolla with five people.

A witness told police, “he watched Tovey begin to swerve some 50-100 feet before the scene where she then crossed from her lane of travel into that of the oncoming Corolla and hit it nearly head-on,” according to court documents.

According to court documents, the witness said one of his family members checked on Tovey and noticed “her phone was opened to a messaging app, and a message appeared to have been sent just before the collision while another message was in the process of being typed.”

The witness said Tovey asked the family member to hand her phone to her when they checked on her.

According to court documents, Tovey’s car was impounded and police found two syringes that later tested positive for methamphetamine.

Tovey was transported to a local hospital, where she consented to a blood draw and drug test. The results of the drug test showed methamphetamine in her system.

According to court documents, Tovey’s phone was obtained through a search warrant and police found text messages sent right before the crash.

Police concluded that Tovey “was the sole cause of the collision by her leaving the lane of travel and intruding into the lane of travel of the Corolla, hitting it partially head-on,” according to court documents.

Court documents stated that Tovey has a drug history and was previously convicted of driving with drugs in her system.

According to police, the five victims were coming back from a Mother’s Day celebration and were on their way to drop off 53-year-old Ruth Carillos, who was sitting in the passenger seat and killed in the crash.

According to court documents, one victim, who was a minor, “suffered a collapsed lung, broken leg, broken collar bone, and broken ribs, limiting his mobility for more than a month.”

Other victims received significant injuries, including an orbital bone fracture, broken ribs and sternum, a ruptured spleen, and a bruised heart, according to court documents.

Three of the four victims were hospitalized for several days, needed rehab, and could not work due to their injuries.

Court documents show Tovey was released from jail on Aug. 31 with orders not to drink or be near alcoholic beverages, or contact the victims or their families.