Dodge Salesman Had Cocaine in His System During Customer's Deadly Accident, Lawsuit Alleges | Carscoops

      The salesman allegedly had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.13 and did not attempt to encourage the customer to reduce speed.

      It was disclosed that the salesman had not received training in appropriate test drive procedures.

      37-year-old Benjamin Meece had been arrested 25 times prior to the accident.

      The Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack collided with a Honda Accord at 124 mph (200 km/h).

      A lawsuit in Texas is bringing attention to a tragic test drive that ended disastrously, involving reckless speed and a salesman in a Dodge Challenger who reportedly had alcohol and cocaine in his system at the time. The lawsuit claims the salesman failed to adhere to fundamental test drive procedures, which may have played a role in the fatal incident.

      The catastrophic accident occurred in July 2024. At the time, salesman Kenneth Salas was accompanying 37-year-old Benjamin Meece on a test drive of a 2021 Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack. Meece was driving at 124 mph (200 km/h) when he collided with a Honda Accord operated by 47-year-old Quma Carrillo. Carrillo was thrown from her vehicle and died. Her three children subsequently filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Meece, Salas, and the All American Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram dealership in Lithia.

      Read: 124 MPH Dodge Challenger Test Drive Crash Kills Mother Of Three

      Court documents indicate that Salas arrived late to work on the day of the accident and, after the crash, was found to have a blood alcohol level of 0.13. The lawsuit notes that Salas confessed during a deposition to consuming alcohol six hours before the crash. A post-accident toxicology report also indicated the presence of cocaine in his system.

      Adding to the seriousness of the situation, Salas stated that he did not take any steps to encourage Meece to slow down or stop driving, according to OAOA. The lawsuit claims that due to the dealership falling short of its sales targets for the first half of 2024, Salas “must have felt pressure to improve the dealership’s monthly figures by making a sale to any potential customer.” Meece was not someone who should have been targeted for a car sale.

      As reported by OAOA, the investigation following the crash uncovered that Meece had a record of 25 previous arrests for various crimes, including vehicle theft, breaking and entering, theft, forgery, and child endangerment. Public records also show he had a history of arrests related to reckless driving, evading arrest, failing to control speed, and driving without a license or insurance.

      Standard procedures at dealerships require sales personnel to obtain a customer’s driver’s license and insurance details prior to any test drive. Additionally, salespeople are typically instructed to drive the vehicle off the lot themselves and follow an approved route. Salas reportedly did not comply with these protocols. In his testimony, he mentioned that the dealership never provided him with training on these essential guidelines.

      Screenshots via NewsWest 9