Authorities said the woman was driving drunk at a speed of approximately 240 kilometers per hour before the accident that resulted in the death of her three children.

OMAHA, Neb. (wow/Gray News) – More than a month after a fatal crash, a woman who authorities say was driving drunk at nearly 140 miles per hour at the time of the crash has been formally charged with the deaths of four people, including her own children. .

Rachel Bickerstaff, a 33-year-old Omaha, Nebraska woman, cried in her wheelchair during her court appearance Thursday.

bickerstaff Sent to Douglas County Jail Wednesday after being hospitalized with severe burns in Kansas for weeks. A search warrant was obtained for him while he was in the hospital.

State officials requested Bickerstaff’s bond be set at $5 million; The judge accepted the request and decided to hold the preliminary hearing on December 9.

More details about the crash were shared in court Friday. The incident took place just before 1.30am on September 27th.

Bickerstaff’s 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee ran a red light on 10th Avenue, authorities said. He was driving approximately 140 mph on Douglas Street just five seconds before the crash and was traveling at more than 100 mph at the time of the crash.

Bickerstaff’s blood alcohol content tested at 0.216, nearly triple that, according to court documents. legal limitin the hospital.

Bickerstaff was able to extricate himself from the vehicle, records show.

At great risk to themselves, the “good Samaritans” managed to pull its 38-year-old passenger, who was also the father of Bickerstaff’s three daughters who died in the crash, from the burning Jeep. records show.

The 38-year-old survived the crash, but the vehicle was too engulfed in flames to rescue the 11-day-old and 5-year-old children trapped in the vehicle.

“Passengers tried to return for their children who were trapped in the vehicle. Sorry, good Samaritans did this, but by then the vehicle was completely engulfed in flames. He’s going 139 miles per hour in Douglas, which is absolutely outrageous. He was traveling more than 100 miles per hour at the time of impact; He appeared to be drunk when he was treated by paramedics,” the prosecutor said.

Records also show this 70-year-old Michael Salesfrom Council Bluffs was the other driver involved in the crash. He was trapped in his 2017 Subaru Outback and died in the fiery crash. He was returning home from work at FedEx at the time of the crash.

Bickerstaff’s 18-month-old child, who was thrown from the plane during the crash and taken to a burn unit in Kansas City for injuries sustained in the crash, was eventually rescued, according to court documents. he died days later.

Court documents filed earlier this month said emergency room personnel treating the boy said the injuries “can only be described as ‘unforgettable.'”

Bickerstaff is charged with four counts of motor vehicle homicide and one count of driving while intoxicated causing serious bodily injury. If convicted of the murder charge, he could face up to 50 years in prison for each count. He also faces up to three years in prison and a $10,000 fine if convicted of drunken driving.

Court records also show Bickerstaff had a previous DUI conviction in early 2020. Bickerstaff pleaded no contest to misdemeanor DUI and reckless driving, lost his license for 60 days and required an interlock device. He was also on probation for six months and had to pay fines totaling less than $800.

WOWT previously reported that Bickerstaff had four other children, possibly ages 8 to 11, who were taken into state custody several years ago. According to juvenile court records, the passenger injured in the crash was also the father of one of them.

The documents show the state had concerns about the children’s safety and welfare, alleging Bickerstaff had missed drug tests; He had a history of methamphetamine use, according to documents. He also wasn’t following a medical plan for one of his children.

Finally, in 2019, the parents waived their rights and these children were adopted.

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