Woman drove drunk at nearly 140 miles per hour before crashing, killing her three children, officials say

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

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

Bickerstaff was booked into the Douglas County Jail Wednesday after being hospitalized in Kansas for weeks with severe burns. A warrant was issued for her arrest while she was in the hospital.

State authorities asked that Bickerstaff’s bond be set at $5 million; the judge agreed to the request and scheduled her preliminary hearing for December 9.

Rachel Bickerstaff was jailed on Wednesday after spending weeks in the hospital with... — Rachel Bickerstaff was jailed on Wednesday after spending weeks in hospital with severe burns.

More details about the crash were shared in court on Friday. It happened just before 1:30 am on September 27.

According to authorities, Bickerstaff’s 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee ran a red light on 10th Street. She was traveling at nearly 140 miles per hour on Douglas Street just five seconds before the crash, and more than 100 miles per hour upon impact.

According to court documents, Bickerstaff’s blood alcohol content was .216, which is almost three times higher than the legal limitin the hospital.

Bickerstaff was able to get himself out of the vehicle, records show.

At great risk to themselves, the “Good Samaritans” managed to extract her passenger, a 38-year-old man who is also the father of the three Bickerstaff girls who died as a result of the crash, from the burning Jeep. show data.

The 38-year-old survived the crash, but the vehicle was too engulfed in flames to save the 11-day-old and 5-year-old who were trapped in her vehicle.

“Passengers tried to go back to get her children who were trapped in the car. Excuse me, good Samaritans did that too, but the vehicle was too fully engulfed in flames at the time. She’s going 140 miles per hour on Douglas, which is completely outrageous. She is traveling more than 100 miles per hour upon impact; she appears to be intoxicated when being treated by medics,” the prosecutor said.

Data also shows this 70-year-old Michael Salesof Council Bluffs, was the other driver involved in the crash. He was trapped in his 2017 Subaru Outback and died in the fiery wreck. He was on his way home from work at FedEx at the time of the crash.

According to court documents, Bickerstaff’s 18-month-old child, who was ejected during the crash and taken to a burn unit in Kansas City for injuries sustained in the crash, would eventually died days later.

Court documents filed earlier this month stated that the emergency room staff who treated the child said the injuries “could only be described as ‘ghostly’.”

Bickerstaff is charged with four counts of motor vehicle homicide and one count of driving under the influence causing serious bodily injury. If convicted on the murder charge, she could face up to 50 years in prison on each charge. She also faces up to three years in prison and a $10,000 fine if convicted of driving under the influence.

Court records also show Bickerstaff had one prior drunken driving conviction as of early 2020. She pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of drunken driving and reckless driving, lost her driver’s license for 60 days and required a safety interlock. She was also on probation for six months and had to pay fines totaling less than $800.

WOWT previously reported that Bickerstaff has four other children, now believed to be between the ages of 8 and 11, who were placed in state custody several years ago. Based on juvenile court records, the passenger injured in the crash is also the father of one of them.

Documents show the state had concerns about the safety and well-being of the children, alleging Bickerstaff missed her drug tests; she had a history of methamphetamine use, the documents state. She also did not follow a medical plan for any of her children.

Ultimately, the parents waived their rights in 2019 and the children were put up for adoption.