Jury deciding if Macon man tried to beat train, causing two deaths

Jury deliberations are expected to resume Friday in the case of a Macon man accused of trying to beat a train, causing two deaths.

Willie Frank Lyons Jr. is on trial in Houston County Superior Court on four counts of vehicular homicide and one count each of driving under the influence of marijuana, running a stop sign, reckless driving and violation of a child safety restraint requirement.

On May 27, 2012, Donnell Reid, 31, and her 1-month-old daughter, Kinsley, of Macon, were killed after a train stuck a Chrysler PT Cruiser that Lyons was driving.

Lyons, the child’s father, was trying to cross the Ignico Drive railroad crossing in Warner Robins. Lyons recovered from serious injuries that required hospitalization.

Lyons is charged in the indictment of disregarding a stop sign, ignoring visual warning lights and trying to cross the railroad tracks in front of an oncoming train.

Thursday marked the fourth day of the trial. Jurors deliberated for nearly five hours before recessing for the day.

During closing arguments earlier Thursday, Chief Assistant District Attorney Erikka Williams argued that Lyons was in a hurry and gambled to beat the train.

“He didn’t want to get stuck behind a long train,” she said.

Williams noted that marijuana use slows reaction time. The drug was found in Lyons’ system during a routine urinalysis while he was hospitalized after the crash.

She argued that the deaths could have been prevented.

But Robert Surrency, an assistant public defender representing Lyons, contended that when Lyons turned from Hickman Street onto Ignico Drive to cross the tracks, the train was on his blind side and he could not see it.

Also, the PT Cruiser that Lyons was driving was too low to the ground for him to have seen the flashing lights signaling the train as he turned onto Ignico Drive. Lyons also did not hear the train sounding its horn, Surrency said.

“He’s not racing a train,” Surrency told jurors. “He’s not trying to beat a train. He doesn’t even know there is a train.”

Lyons admitted to smoking marijuana two days earlier but claimed he was not high at the time of the crash. He also claimed that his daughter was strapped in her child seat when the crash occurred.

The death of Reid and her daughter came on the heels of a string of accidents in recent years and prompted a community push to get a gate installed at the Ignico Drive railroad crossing ahead of schedule. The work was completed on Aug. 1, 2012.

This story was originally published May 12, 2016 at 1:04 PM with the headline "Jury deciding if Macon man tried to beat train, causing two deaths."