JEFFERSON PARISH, La. — The spirit of the 9-year-old girl killed in a Jefferson Parish crash involving an alleged drunk driver will live on in at least four people after her organs were donated following her death.
Police said Abby Douglas was killed in the crash caused by 58-year-old Wendell Lachney in October.
Prosecutors say the Belle Chasse man had been drinking whiskey and smoking marijuana for hours prior to ramming into the back of a minivan driven by Douglas’s mother.
The young girl was critically injured in the crash and died two days later.
In a Facebook post, Abby's mother Sarah Douglas said several of her daughter's organs had been transplanted after she died.
Abby's kidney, pancreas, liver and heart were all transplanted into donors. Sarah said Abby's vascular tissue — which made up her blood vessels and veins — was also harvested for transplant.
Lachney's bail was increased to $1 million after her death.
Prosecutors cited a number of factors including two previous DWI convictions, one in I-10 in St. John Parish in 1990, the other in Washington state in 1994.
Prosecutors also revealed there was alcohol, wine and a controlled dangerous substance in Lachney’s car at the time of the crash and that his blood alcohol content was more than double the 0.08%-legal limit.
Lachney’s attorney Frank DeSalvo stated in court that his client does not intend to post bond.
He remains in the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center.
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