Hannah Lebel, Alaska: A Wasilla driver faces severe prison time after an allegedly drunk off-road joyride killed a ten-year-old child.
A fun evening in the Alaska wilderness ended in handcuffs and tragedy for a local resident. A community is demanding answers after a terrible off-road crash took a young life. Law enforcement officials say the entire incident was completely preventable.
Alaska State Troopers arrested 32-year-old Hannah Lebel following a fatal rollover accident. The crash happened in the Jim Creek Recreation Area, a well-known spot in the Mat-Su Valley. Lebel now faces a long list of severe legal charges.
Lebel was behind the wheel of a side-by-side utility vehicle around 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. She was carrying four young passengers through the rugged terrain. Suddenly, the vehicle lost control and flipped entirely onto its roof.
When troopers arrived to investigate the scene, they noticed something wrong with Lebel. They observed clear signs of impairment right away. Further investigation led officers to believe she was heavily intoxicated while driving the children.
Authorities immediately took Lebel into custody. Prosecutors are hitting her with major charges, including driving under the influence and assault. Most severely, she faces charges of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide for the death of a child.
The crash proved fatal for ten-year-old Brielle Lebel, who was found unresponsive on the ground. Bystanders tried desperately to revive her with CPR before medics took over. Sadly, she passed away at the scene. Three other kids in the vehicle were rushed to a Mat-Su hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
As Lebel awaits her day in court, the local community is drowning in sorrow. People across the area are sharing deep condolences for the grieving family. Investigators are still working hard to piece together every final detail of that fateful evening.
---
