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Teen driver in Snapchat lawsuit charged with felony

Posted at 12:47 PM, Jun 02, 2016
and last updated 2016-06-02 12:47:10-04

The Georgia teen driver accused of causing a high speed car crash because she was allegedly using Snapchat to record her speed has been charged with a felony.

The collision caused the driver of another car to suffer brain injuries.

Clayton County law enforcement officials issued four warrants for Christal McGee on Wednesday. The charges include causing serious injury by vehicle, which is a felony, according to Solicitor General Tasha Mosley. She was also charged with three misdemeanors: driving too fast for conditions, reckless driving, and speeding 35 mph+ over speed limit.

On the left, the Mitsubishi Outlander that was struck. On the right, a Mercedes c230 that caused the crash.

On the left, the Mitsubishi Outlander that was struck. On the right, a Mercedes c230 that caused the crash.

“As of right now she is still showing [as] wanted on our computer system,” Mosley told CNNMoney.

Lt. Michael Gaddis of the Lovejoy, Gerogia, police department, said McGee will either turn herself in or be arrested by authorities.

McGee, 19, allegedly was driving more than 100 mph and using Snapchat’s speed filter when she crashed into another vehicle last September. She has denied these claims.

The collision caused another driver, Wentworth Maynard, to suffer brain injuries. Maynard and his family are suing McGee and Snapchat to pay for his medical bills, but the case is currently on hold.

Snapchat says it found evidence in McGee’s activity logs that she had not been using the app around the time of the crash. This information has prompted both sides of the civil case to jointly file a motion to put the civil lawsuit on hold for further investigation.

A Snapchat spokesman said the company did not have any comment on the criminal charges. McGee’s attorneys did not immediately respond to calls.

Gaddis told CNNMoney that the charges are being issued now because their full investigation into the car crash has concluded.

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