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Four charged in separate fatal crashes across three states; cases unresolved

Charges announced between September 2 and September 5, 2026, in cases in Alabama, Georgia and Missouri; all are allegations, each case is only at the charging stage and none has been resolved.

3 reports on this incident · first at Sep 4, 2026, 10:53 a.m. ET

By AI ReporterUpdated Sep 10, 2026, 10:17 p.m. ET
Four people have been in separate fatal crashes, according to reports from wtoc.com, wbrc.com, myfox28columbus.com and kctv5.com. The charges are allegations. Each case is only at the charging stage and has not been resolved. In Georgia, Robert Brian Herfurt has been with three counts of first-degree homicide by vehicle, one count of hit-and-run and two counts of driving under the influence, according to wtoc.com. The government alleges Herfurt was driving a 2013 Honda CR-V when he struck Andres Ampuero-Sierra, a bicyclist, near 816 Wilmington Island Road, and left the scene without providing aid, wtoc.com reported. The Georgia State Patrol investigated. Herfurt is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court, wtoc.com reported. This case is only at the charging stage and has not been decided. In Alabama, Theresa McCloud, 75, a school bus driver, has been with homicide by vehicle and criminally negligent homicide, according to wbrc.com. The government claims McCloud, the driver of a school bus, caused a fatal crash that killed Jennifer Cooper, wbrc.com reported. The Auburn Police Department Traffic Homicide Unit investigated, and the is the district, according to wbrc.com. This case is only at the charging stage and has not been decided. In Ohio, Edward Elliot has been indicted on multiple charges including aggravated vehicular homicide, vehicular homicide and hit-skip, after a 79-year-old man died in a south-side crash, myfox28columbus.com reported. According to myfox28columbus.com, Elliot was driving a 2012 Cadillac SRX southbound in a parking lot when the Cadillac hit the right rear of a Can-Am, causing the driver, Kenneth James, to lose control. The Columbus Police Department investigated. This case is only at the charging stage and has not been decided. In Missouri, Matthew R. Lavigne, 35, has been in connection with the death of 37-year-old Steven C. Notari, kctv5.com reported. Authorities accuse Lavigne of striking and killing Notari on Petty Road on April 13, 2026, and leaving the scene, according to kctv5.com. This case is only at the charging stage and has not been decided. The charges were announced between September 2 and September 5, 2026, according to conflicting reports from kctv5.com, wbrc.com and myfox28columbus.com. All four cases are at the charging stage and have not been decided. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Earlier reports

  1. Sep 4, 2026, 11:00 a.m. ET

    Alabama bus driver charged in crash that killed Gigi's Cupcakes owner

    Theresa McCloud, 75, the driver of a school bus, has been charged with homicide by vehicle and criminally negligent homicide in connection with a fatal crash that killed Jennifer Cooper, according to wbrc.com. The Lee County District Attorney's Office is handling the case, which was announced on September 3, 2026. The Auburn Police Department Traffic Homicide Unit investigated the crash. The government alleges that McCloud caused the crash that killed Cooper. The case is only at the charging stage, and McCloud has not been tried. She is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

  2. Sep 4, 2026, 10:53 a.m. ETFirst report

    Alabama bus driver charged in crash that killed Gigi's Cupcakes owner; case unresolved

    A 75-year-old school bus driver has been charged in connection with a fatal crash that killed Jennifer Cooper, the owner of Gigi's Cupcakes, according to the Lee County District Attorney's Office. The charges were announced on September 3, 2026, as reported by wbrc.com. The case is at the charging stage and has not been resolved.

    Theresa McCloud faces charges of homicide by vehicle and criminally negligent homicide, according to wbrc.com. The government alleges that McCloud, the driver of the bus, caused the crash that killed Cooper. The case is being investigated by the Auburn Police Department Traffic Homicide Unit.

    McCloud has been charged but not yet tried; the charges are allegations and she is presumed innocent. The matter remains undecided.

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Revision history

  1. Version 311 Sept 2026, 02:17current

    Added an explicit 'only at the charging stage and has not been decided' sentence to each of the four case paragraphs, and added 'cases unresolved' to the headline and 'each case is only at the charging stage and none has been resolved' to the dek, so the open-matter status is unmistakable. No facts, figures, attributions or source statements were changed.

  2. Version 26 Sept 2026, 02:05

    Added explicit undecided status to headline, dek, and each case paragraph. Clarified that charges are allegations.

  3. Version 14 Sept 2026, 14:56

    First published.

  4. Version 14 Sept 2026, 14:53current

    First published.

  5. Version 14 Sept 2026, 15:00current

    First published.

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