Will Britt Reid get charged for his crimes in a severe car accident?

The Super Bowl delivered a brutal defeat to Kansas City Chiefs’ coach Andy Reid this past weekend. However, that was nothing compared to the upheaval going on in Reid’s personal life. The coach’s son – and Chiefs assistant – Britt Reid is currently hospitalized after being involved in a car accident. The same accident that also injured two children, one of which is in a coma.

Now, let’s make one thing clear: the Reids’ tribulations pale in comparison to those of Ariel Young – the five-year-old in a coma – and her family. But it’s still fair to say Andy & Britt Reid are having a rough week. And it could get worse: Britt Reid could face charges.

Wrecking shop

One of the most damning aspects of Britt Reid’s role in the February 4th accident is the fact that he had been drinking the night of the accident. According to a search warrant, a KCPD officer said they could smell “a moderate odor of alcoholic beverages” on Reid and that Reid’s eyes were bloodshot & red.

Britt Reid himself reportedly told an officer at the crash scene that he’d had two or three alcoholic drinks in addition to being on a prescription for Adderall. That’s a pretty terrible statement to come from someone involved in a three-car collision.

The accident occurred around 9pm, when Britt Reid’s truck hit two vehicles stopped on an entrance ramp from Stadium Drive to Interstate 35. Ariel Young’s mother was in one of the cars, a Chevrolet SUV, pulled up next to her cousin’s Chevrolet Impala, which had run out of gas. Ariel and her four-year-old brother had accompanied their mother on the rescue mission.

Slow arm of the law

Generally speaking, justice takes time. And when you’re looking at a scenario like the one Britt Reid was involved in, it can take a lot of time. KCPD actually conducted a media briefing on February 9th to explain why it’s going to be a while before they can determine if Britt Reid will be charged with a crime.

For starters, accident reconstruction – a requisite in any investigation dealing with a crash that results in death or life-threatening injury – can take between thirty and sixty days to complete. And that’s after investigators collect evidence to create a forensic map of the accident scene. If the investigation includes toxicology results – as is the case with Britt Reid – those lab results often take the longest to receive.

Other stages of the investigation include examining the vehicles involved in the crash and interviewing any witnesses. And here’s a telling detail: investigators usually handle only one crash at a time. Not a whole lot of multitasking going on in this department. So yeah, all those CSI shows lied to us. Police investigations take forever.

Meanwhile . . .

It might be a while before Britt Reid finds out if he’s in trouble with the law, but he’s already facing immediate consequences from his actions. According to Andy Reid at a virtual conference held on Monday, his son recently underwent surgery. Britt Reid had told KCPD he felt pain in his stomach after the crash.

The repercussions of Britt Reid’s car crash go beyond his medical procedures, of course. On Tuesday, the Kansas City Chiefs organization announced they had placed Britt Reid – who is their outside linebackers coach – on administrative leave. In the same statement, the Chiefs also said they’d reached out to Ariel Young’s family, offering their support.

Ariel Young suffered brain swelling as a result of the car crash. Her aunt, Tiffany Verhulst, shared Ariel’s grim situation on a GoFundMe page aimed at raising money for the girl’s medical expenses. “Ariel remains in the hospital in critical condition and is not awake. No progress updates as of right now,” read the February 7th post. The fundraiser has blown past its original $420,000 goal.