A woman who was charged with murder following a car crash that left a 52-year-old grandmother of five dead posted a Facebook video in which she seemingly blames the reported victim.
On March 21, 52-year-old Brandy Ballard died after allegedly being hit by Carmesia Flannigan, 22, who Alabama police claim was street racing at the time of the crash.
Flannigan, who was also charged with leaving the scene of an accident and unlawful possession of a controlled substance, was freed Tuesday on a $175,000 bond, jail records show.
According to a March 22 press release by the Birmingham Police Department (BPD), the crash involved four vehicles. “It was determined the driver who was reportedly racing left the scene of the accident. The preliminary investigation suggests witnesses observed vehicles racing prior to the accident. It was determined one of the drivers who was reportedly racing left the scene of the accident. The person who was pronounced deceased was a passing motorist and not affiliated with racing when her vehicle was struck,” the release states.
Hours later, she posted a profanity-laden video dodging blame for the deadly crash, saying that “old (expletive) lady swerved into my lane.” The seven-minute clip was removed from Facebook and later posted on YouTube, AL.com reported. It features Flannigan and her mother disputing the police department’s version of events, specifically the claims about street racing.
“That old ass lady swerved in my lane,” she says in the first video, seemingly addressing criticism from people online. She also denies fleeing the scene.
“I ain’t killed nobody. You hear me? I ain’t killed nobody. This lady ran into me,” she later says. “They ain’t charging her with shit. They charging me because I was alive, and I was there, basically. That’s how the police work.”
Flannigan’s Chevrolet Camaro allegedly crossed over a road’s center line and crashed into Ballard’s vehicle, according to AL. Ballard, a home healthcare worker, was on her way to work at the time, and she died at the scene, two blocks away from her home.
“But I’m not mad. Bitch, I handle my shit like a motherfucker OG would,” Flannigan says in the video. “Yeah, she dead. She dead. but I didn’t do it. The fuck? … She did it to her motherfucking self because she ran into me.”
“I been driving Camaros. This ain’t my first one or my last one,” she says, adding that her car will be repaired in less than a month.
Flannigan seems to have posted the video from a secondary Facebook account and addresses people who are allegedly trying to get her banned. She calls it a “live,” though it remains unclear if the video was a live stream. She also breaks out into song at the end of the video.
Family members of Ballard, who reportedly worked as a home health care nurse, said they were incensed after seeing the videos. “I was so mad, I cried,” her niece, Tabatha Moore, told AL.com. “It’s very frustrating. It’s humiliating. There’s no remorse.” Police say the crash occurred just after 6 a.m. Sunday and involved four vehicles. Ballard’s vehicle was hit head on by a Chevy Camaro that crossed the center lane, WVTM reported.
Police said Ballard died at the scene, according to the news outlet. “The preliminary investigation suggests witnesses observed vehicles racing prior to the accident,” police said on Facebook. “It was determined one of the drivers who was reportedly racing left the scene of the accident.”
On Wednesday, a judge granted a request from the Jefferson County District Attorney after prosecutors said Flannigan violated the conditions of her bond for previous offenses in 2020 and early 2021, WVTM reported. Ballard’s family is now calling for an end to dangerous street racing. “I just feel like there’s a place for racing, and it’s not on the street to take innocent lives like hers,” Moore told WVTM. “Please stop. What if this was your loved one?”
Watch it here: Youtube/Betty Myers
Sources: Taphaps, Al, Dailydot