Frightened girl grabbed wheel to avoid crash, boyfriend tells police

12:47 AM CDT on Friday, May 12, 2006

By HOLLY YAN / The Dallas Morning News

Amanda Elizabeth Beazel

They were love-stricken teenagers, eager to marry as soon as she graduated from high school.

But what appears to be an act of horseplay shattered their dreams when 17-year-old Amanda Elizabeth Beazel of Palmer was killed on a southern Dallas County road Wednesday night.

Behind the wheel was her boyfriend, 19-year-old Jacob Lynn Greer of Dallas. Sheriff's deputies said Mr. Greer was driving in the wrong lane on Malloy Bridge Road near Gravel Slough Road to play "chicken" with a vehicle coming from the opposite direction.

Terrified, Ms. Beazel grabbed the steering wheel of her boyfriend's blue 1994 Ford Thunderbird. But the car veered back to the right and plowed into a tree.

Mr. Greer called 911 first. Then he phoned his girlfriend's mother, saying, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry" over and over again.

"I couldn't hear what he was saying. He was crying," Lisa Stonewall said.

When she finally understood they had been in a terrible accident and her daughter was unconscious in the back seat, Ms. Stonewall rushed to the scene. Her daughter died within minutes.

Mr. Greer initially told deputies that he did not cross the line. Instead, he said, he and Ms. Beazel were "goofing off" when Ms. Beazel grabbed the steering wheel and caused him to lose control, said Sgt. Don Peritz of the Dallas County Sheriff's Department.

But during an interview later at Baylor University Medical Center, he told deputies a different story involving another car in the opposite lane.

"I've never worked a wreck involving chicken driving," said Dallas County Senior Sgt. Kevin Feinglas. "It's a dangerous and deadly game. He killed his girlfriend of a year."

Ms. Beazel's family was stunned that Mr. Greer may have endangered the young woman he became smitten with at a high school dance.

"He seemed to be a very nice person. He loved Mandy, and he wasn't afraid to stand up and say that," said Kathryn Beazel, Ms. Beazel's grandmother.

The family said Mr. Greer is a kind, responsible young man who worked at his family's welding business and looked forward to settling down with Ms. Beazel.

"We have no desire to see him go to jail," Kathryn Beazel said. "It won't bring Mandy back. What he's going to do to himself is punishment. I know he's going through hell on his own."

Ms. Beazel's mother and grandmother said it's difficult to talk about the death, but they hope that other young drivers and their parents don't have to endure the same.

"When you're a young kid, you think you're invincible," Kathryn Beazel said. "It's not even a generational thing. You do stupid things without facing consequences. If this saves one life, it'll be worth it."

Sgt. Feinglas said Mr. Greer faces criminal charges, but investigators would like to speak with the other driver and witnesses before announcing a charge. Anyone with information may call 972-225-6110.

E-mail hyan@dallasnews.com