17-year old charged in car accident that killed Galveston firefighter
Frederick Gustav Mueller, a 17-year old from Bellaire, was charged with intoxication manslaughter in a motorcycle versus pickup truck collision that killed a Jamaica Beach volunteer firefighter. Mueller was released on bond on Sunday. The police account of the fatal accident is that Mueller was driving his truck along the seawall near 83rd Street when he moved over into the right hand lane. Chris Norregard, the volunteer firefighter driving behind him, moved over to his left to go around Mueller’s vehicle, but then Mueller suddenly made a left turn causing Norregard to crash into the side of Mueller’s truck. Sadly Norregard was pronounced dead at the hospital. For 25-years Norregard had volunteered him time as a firefighter for Jamaica Beach. His colleagues remember him as a very giving and kind person who had helped many after Hurricane Ike hit, and even housed people at his home. Norregard was married and leaves behind two sons, both of whom volunteer with Jamaica Beach F.D.
Update: A Houston Press article on the accident written by George Flynn and published February 2, 2012 is available here. The detailed article examines the circumstances surrounding the accident, the eventual dismissal of the felony charge brought against Mueller, and the revelation that both drug and alcohol screenings revealed the teenager was not under the influence of any intoxicants at the time of the accident. According to the article, samples taken by the medical examiner from Norregard showed alcohol levels of .153 and .188, well above the legal level for intoxication of .08.
Bellaire teenager Frederick Gustav Mueller