Christine Chao, 44, of Rosemead, California, was charged with vehicular homicide on October 20, 2026, over a crash that occurred on June 12 on I-15 in Juab County, Utah.
Traffic was moving slowly because of roadwork. According to the charging documents, her vehicle rear-ended the last of the three vehicles traveling along the road, and all three ended up off the road. Officers found no skid marks. Scott LaVar Lichfield, 66, was in the first vehicle that was hit and died of his injuries.
Four months later, a search warrant allowed Chao’s phone to be examined: according to the charging document, she had accessed an adult-content website less than two minutes before the crash. That fact alone does not prove what she was doing at the exact moment of impact, and she is presumed innocent. Her next hearing is on November 17.
