ORLANDO, FLORIDA: A female driver with a suspended license has been arrested for her third DUI after killing a Windsor father and son in a horrific car crash on Sunday, July 9. Shane Lloyd, 50, and his son Jakob Lloyd, 19, were reportedly heading to attend orientation at the University of Central Florida when the drunk driver, identified as Leslie Gehmert, rammed into their car at a red light.
The Florida Highway Patrol reported that the terrifying crash took place at around 1 pm when Lloyds' 2021 Kia Soul was making a legal left turn, and Gehmert's 2021 Jeep Cherokee careened directly into them after entering an intersection east of Orlando. Lloyds' car rolled over several times from the impact of the high-speed crash before ending up on its roof, according to Fox 35. While Shane was pronounced dead at the site, Jakob was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he died hours later due to severe trauma. Gohmert also suffered injuries in the accident and was treated at the hospital.
Who is Leslie Gehmert?
Following her treatment, police arrested Gehmart and booked her into the Orange County Jail. She has been slapped with a long list of charges, including two vehicular homicide charges, one charge of driving with a suspended license with death, one further charge of DUI, and two counts of DUI manslaughter. Police said Gehmert, whose license was suspended following a March accident, smelled strongly of alcohol at the site of the collision and refused to submit to a blood alcohol test. A witness said that Gehmert remained in her car immediately after the collision, as per Fox 35.
"She was in complete shock. She was sitting in the car with her hands on the wheel, just kind of looking side to side," Chase Woodburn said. Gehmert, formerly of New Rochelle, New York, was sued for damages in July 2022 for a different accident that left Alexander Chapman with a "permanent injury," according to court documents. She "made an improper turn, failed to maintain her lane, crossed into the Plaintiff's lane of travel, and crashed into the front of the Plaintiff's vehicle," reads the complaint. As of now, Gehmert remains in jail, and her bail was set at $700,000, according to NY Post.
'My brother was my hero'
Shane and Jakob Lloyd are survived by Shane's wife and Jakob's mother, Sydney, and two other children, Ben and Owen. The devastated family revealed that Jakob graduated in May 2022 from Fossil Ridge, where he was on the football and wrestling teams as well as the Poudre School District boy's lacrosse team. "My brother was my hero, so for this to be like a double whammy for our family, it's hard to take all this in," Shane's sister, Shannon Brown, said, adding, "They were just down there to get him ready to start. To start his life and his career." Brown also shared that Shane was an electrical engineer, and Jakob dreamt of becoming an attorney. "He had an interest in forensics, he wanted to be a lawyer," she said, continuing, "He was really going to make a difference, but that's gone now."
