It happened in a heartbeat. One second, Andrea Hudson was driving a beige Toyota Sienna through a familiar intersection in the Fairwood area near Renton. She had five kids in the car. They were coming back from a school event, probably talking about their day, just living a normal Tuesday afternoon on March 19, 2024. Then a blue Audi A4, driven by 18-year-old Chase Daniel Jones, screamed through a red light at 112 miles per hour.
The impact wasn’t just a collision; it was a physical impossibility of metal and glass.
The Chase Jones car crash has become a touchstone for grief in King County, Washington. It isn't just about a reckless driver. It is about the "infinite impact," a phrase used by Chace Wilcoxson, who lost two daughters that day. When you look at the telemetry, the details are sickening. Jones was at full throttle. No brakes. No attempt to swerve. Just a 112-mph missile hitting a minivan full of children at the intersection of Southeast 192nd Street and 140th Avenue Southeast.
The Reality of the Chase Jones Car Crash
Most people hear "car accident" and think of a momentary lapse in judgment. This was different. Detectives found that Jones had been involved in two other significant crashes in the year leading up to this tragedy. In both cases, speeding was the culprit. He had totaled two other cars before he even got behind the wheel of the Audi that would eventually kill four people.
The victims weren't just names on a police report:
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- Andrea Hudson, 38, the heart of her family and a pillar for the kids she carpooled.
- Matilda Wilcoxson, 13, a bright light with her whole life ahead of her.
- Eloise Wilcoxson, 12, Matilda’s younger sister.
- Boyd “Buster” Brown, 12, a boy whose parents described the hole left in their lives as a "gaping wound."
Two other children, Nolan and Charlotte Hudson, survived but were left with life-altering injuries. Charlotte, only 12 at the time, suffered a severe traumatic brain injury.
112 MPH: The Data Doesn't Lie
Inside the Audi was an Event Data Recorder (EDR). Basically, it’s the "black box" for cars. It told a grim story. Investigators found that right before the impact, Jones was pushing the car to its absolute limit. People living nearby said the sound was like an explosion. The minivan was pushed 125 feet from the point of impact. It was so mangled that firefighters had to cut the roof off just to reach the people inside.
Honestly, it’s hard to wrap your head around that kind of speed in a residential area. 112 mph is roughly 164 feet per second. If you blink, you've traveled half a football field. At that speed, there is no "reacting."
A Guilty Plea and a Decades-Long Sentence
For a while, the legal process moved slowly because Jones himself was injured. He initially pleaded not guilty from a hospital bed. But by April 2025, the weight of the evidence—the EDR data, the witness accounts, the history of prior wrecks—led to a change. Jones pleaded guilty to four counts of vehicular homicide and two counts of vehicular assault.
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The sentencing was heavy. King County Superior Court Judge Mark Larrañaga listened to hours of victim impact statements.
"I used speed like a tool to ignore my problems," Jones said in a statement read by his attorney. "I used a pedal to put all my emotions into."
It’s a chilling admission. He wasn’t just driving fast; he was using a 3,000-pound machine as a coping mechanism for his internal issues. In the end, the judge sentenced him to 210 months—about 17.5 years. He had an "offender score" of 10, which is incredibly high for someone with no prior adult criminal record, reflecting the sheer number of victims involved in a single incident.
What This Means for Road Safety Laws
This case didn't just end in a courtroom. It sparked a movement. Ted Smith, Andrea Hudson’s father, has been pushing for "Andrea's Law" (House Bill 1596). The idea is simple but controversial: habitual speeders would be required to have speed-limiting devices installed in their cars. It’s a "black box" that wouldn't just record data but would actively prevent the car from going over a certain limit.
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Why the Community is Still Hurting
Even with the 17-year sentence, there’s no "closure." Not really. The Wilcoxson family spoke about forgiveness, which stunned many in the community. Rivka Wilcoxson told the court she forgave Jones, saying he is "loved with a perfect love." It’s a level of grace that’s hard for most people to imagine.
But the reality on the ground in Renton hasn't changed overnight. People still speed through that intersection. The memorial of flowers and photos eventually fades, but the fear remains. The Chase Jones car crash serves as a permanent, painful reminder that a car is a weapon when handled with "compulsive" recklessness.
Moving Forward: Actionable Steps for Safety
If there is anything to take away from this tragedy, it’s that "minor" speeding habits often escalate. If you or someone you know struggles with aggressive driving, here is what needs to happen:
- Acknowledge the Psychological Link: As Jones admitted, speeding can be an emotional outlet. If you find yourself "flooring it" when you're angry or stressed, that's a red flag. Seek professional help or behavioral therapy before it turns into a habit.
- Support Telemetry Legislation: Keep an eye on Washington House Bill 1596 or similar local laws. Whether you agree with speed-limiters or not, the conversation about technological intervention for habitual offenders is growing.
- Community Advocacy: Don't wait for a tragedy to ask for traffic calming measures. If an intersection in your neighborhood feels like a drag strip, contact your local Department of Transportation (DOT) to request speed humps, roundabouts, or increased enforcement.
- Dashcam Installation: It won't stop a crash, but in the case of high-speed incidents, having clear video evidence is vital for ensuring justice is served and insurance claims are handled accurately.
The story of the Chase Jones car crash is finished in the eyes of the law, but the families are living a life sentence of "what ifs." Understanding the gravity of this event is the first step toward making sure it doesn't happen at the next intersection.