A Dallas woman standing trial for the death of a Southern Methodist University student was nearly four times over the legal alcohol limit at the time of a deadly 2023 crash on a Central Expressway feeder road, a toxicology expert told a Dallas County courtroom Thursday.
Brittany Welch, a toxicology chemist, testified that blood tests taken from defendant Lynlee Pollis hours after the September 2023 crash revealed a blood alcohol concentration of 0.294 percent. Texas law sets the legal driving limit at 0.08 percent.
Welch told jurors that Pollis would likely have consumed somewhere between six and eleven standard alcoholic drinks to reach that level, or as few as three to five larger or double-sized beverages.
Pollis faces charges of intoxication manslaughter and intoxication assault in connection with the crash that killed 19-year-old Honor Wallace, an SMU student. A friend of Wallace who was riding in the passenger seat at the time of the collision sustained serious injuries and survived.
The crash occurred in September 2023 along a feeder road near Central Expressway in Dallas. The case has drawn significant attention given the severity of the collision and the age of the victim.
If convicted on the intoxication manslaughter charge, Pollis could face up to 20 years in prison. The intoxication assault charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years.
The trial is currently underway in Dallas County state district court, where prosecutors are presenting evidence to establish the degree of intoxication Pollis allegedly had behind the wheel that night.