Mugshot of Levi Leando Calvin. Photo Credit: THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT.
ST. JOHN — A man is facing vehicular homicide, child neglect and related charges after police say his negligent driving caused a water truck crash on St. John that killed his 6-year-old daughter, who investigators say was unrestrained inside the vehicle.
The crash occurred on the afternoon of January 31 while Levi Calvin was driving a water truck northwest on Centerline Road. Police said the truck was carrying a cargo of water. Calvin’s 6-year-old daughter was also inside the truck and was apparently unrestrained.
According to police, Calvin took a corner just past the Grunwald entrance at a speed apparently above the 10 mph limit for trucks. He lost control, and the truck flipped onto its right side.
As the water truck slid toward the edge of the road, it struck and knocked over a utility pole before going over the embankment. The truck fell approximately 300 feet before a tree stopped its descent, police said.
A witness told police they were driving in the opposite direction when they saw the truck come around the corner on two wheels before it went over the embankment.
First responders had to use a hydraulic rescue tool, commonly known as the jaws of life, to cut Mr. Calvin out of the partially crushed cabin of the truck. The child was removed by an emergency medical technician and later pronounced dead.
An autopsy performed days after the crash found that the girl died from cranial cerebral injuries and blunt force trauma.
Investigators found that Calvin had not secured the child in a car seat or booster seat as required by law. Police also noted that he had previously been warned by authorities against transporting a minor in the truck.
The truck’s owner told police that he had also warned Mr. Calvin not to drive the truck with his daughter inside, because there was no insurance coverage for unauthorized people in the vehicle.
At the time of the crash, police said the truck’s tires and brakes were in good working condition, and the weather was clear. Investigators concluded that Calvin’s actions were “the direct and primary cause” of the crash and his daughter’s death.
Calvin was arrested and charged with vehicular homicide, negligent driving, child neglect, child abuse, aggravated child abuse and neglect, operating a motor vehicle without lap or shoulder restraint, and operating a motor vehicle without properly securing a child in an appropriate restraint.
He appeared before Magistrate Simone VanHolten-Turnbull on Thursday and received bail of $150,000. Of that amount, $5,000 is payable in cash, $38,000 is secured by property, and $107,000 is signed as an unsecured bond.
As of press time, no date had been set for Calvin’s next court appearance.
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