Columbus man charged in Harris County wreck that killed his two young sons

The 32-year-old Columbus driver involved in the early Monday crash in Cataula, Ga., that left his two sons dead was charged with vehicular homicide and DUI in connection to the incident, according to the Department of Public Safety Information Office.

Authorities said Christopher Farrell was driving south on Hamilton Pleasant Mulberry Road in a 2014 Nissan Rogue shortly after midnight Monday with his three sons, between ages 4 and 9, and a 26-year-old family friend.

Farrell allegedly traveled through a stop sign and continued going south across both lanes of Highway 315. The vehicle went off the south shoulder of the highway before striking a tree and overturning around 12:45 a.m., officials with the Department of Public Safety Information Office said Tuesday morning.

Reese Road Elementary students Richard Farrell, 8, and John Farrell, 7, were pronounced dead at the scene at 1:50 a.m. Monday, Harris County Coroner Joe Weldon said. Their bodies were sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation crime lab in Atlanta for autopsies.

The family friend was treated at the scene and released, and Christopher Farrell and his 4-year-old were taken to Midtown Medical Center in Columbus with non-life-threatening injuries. As of Tuesday morning, the child was in satisfactory condition, Columbus Regional spokeswoman Jessica Word said.

Christopher Farrell, who has since been released from the hospital, faces multiple charges related to the incident, including two counts of vehicular homicide, three counts of endangering a child under the age of 14 while driving under the influence, and one count each of DUI, possession of less than an ounce of marijuana, reckless driving, failure to maintain lane, driving too fast for conditions, tire requirements and driver to exercise due care.

This story was originally published August 23, 2016 at 10:37 AM with the headline "Columbus man charged in Harris County wreck that killed his two young sons."