Tears came in the courtroom Monday afternoon when State District Judge Buddie Hahn announced he was giving probation to a former high school coach. The coach pleaded guilty to failure to stop and render aid when his car hit and killed a mother and young child crossing MacArthur Drive.
Friends and relatives of 54-year-old Carl Broussard, the former coach, cried tears of relief. Friends of the deceased, 25-year-old Ava Nicole Lewis and her 6-year-old daughter, Lamya, cried tears of pain.
Edith Farrar said she sat through the hearing because Ava had moved from California shortly before she was killed and didn’t have relatives here. “If it had been a black person running over two white people, it wouldn’t have been probation,” she said outside the courtroom.
Broussard faced a punishment of two to 20 years in prison for each count and could have had a stacked sentence of 40 years in prison. Instead, the judge gave him 10 years and a $5,000 fine for each of the two counts. He then announced he was giving 10 years probation.
Before giving the sentence, Judge Hahn said “his failure to stop did not cause their deaths.”
Broussard’s attorney, Paul Fukuda of Bridge City, pointed out a psychological report showed the former coach has had suicidal thoughts because of the deaths. Broussard, while on the witness stand, said “I don’t think I could ever commit suicide, but … I would welcome death. I don’t fear it anymore.”
Broussard did not stop after hitting the mother and child. He testified he thought he killed an animal, even though Assistant District Attorney Mike Marion, who prosecuted the case, pointed out the windshield of the Chevrolet Geo was shattered.
Broussard said he had to lean over toward the passenger side to see to drive to his girlfriend’s house. She left to check to see what he hit. When she returned and told him he hit two people, she then told him to put the damaged car in her garage. He went to work the next day and surrendered to police about 9 p.m., 25 hours after the accident.
The first witness in the hearing was a young woman who had been at Hibbets Sports where Ava and Lamya had left. She saw the impact. “They both flew in the air. When she (Ava) landed she splatted.”
She and a friend of Ava’s, who had already crossed the highway, ran to help Ava and stop other cars from hitting her. Others took the child to the side of the road.
Orange Police Detective Sergeant Stephen Ward testified he was called to the scene that night because a fatal hit-and-run is a crime. He described the roadway as “extremely dark.”
Testimony showed the Texas Department of Transportation had put new blacktop on the highway and none of the traffic lanes were marked with lines. Some temporary reflectors had been placed. Also, the mother and child were wearing dark clothing.
Broussard’s attorney, Paul Fukuda of Bridge City, sent a stream of witnesses to testify about the coach’s kindness and dedication to helping students. Those testifying included West Orange-Stark head coaches Cornell Thompson (football) and Tremaine Hancock (basketball).
A retired coach, Dale Basinger, said “prison to me is for rehabilitation. (Broussard) already is a good person. You’re not going to make him any better. He can do more good out working with people.”
-Margaret Toal, KOGT-
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