Teen Being Sued For Snapchat Crash Now Faces Charges

A Georgia teen being sued for causing a crash while using Snapchat and driving over 100 mph now faces criminal charges in the case.

Christal McGee, now 19, has been served with arrest warrants on charges of reckless driving, speeding more than 35 mph over the speed limit, driving too fast for conditions and serious injury by vehicle, Clayton County Solicitor Tasha Mosley said.

The last charge is a felony.

A Clayton County judge signed the warrants for McGee on Wednesday.

Wentworth Maynard was pulling onto Tara Boulevard in Clayton County in September when he was rear-ended by the Mercedes being driven by McGee, who was 18 at the time.

McGee and her three passengers suffered various injuries, but Maynard ended up in a coma, spent five weeks in intensive care and has permanent brain injury, according to his attorneys.

Passengers in McGee's vehicle have said she was trying to take a picture of herself with Snapchat while traveling over 100 mph when she hit Maynard.

One of those passengers, Heather McCarthy, told WSB last month that she saw a speed of 113 mph on McCarty's phone at one point.

Maynard's attorneys also are suing the app.

At issue in the lawsuit is Snapchat's "speed filter," which lets users post photos showing how fast they are moving at the time of the snap.

The feature uses a smartphone's sensors to read the speed and gives users virtual trophies for posting at various speeds.

Maynard's lawsuit contends that the feature encourages users to drive at unsafe speeds while using the app. Snapchat has issued a statement noting that the feature contains a message discouraging users from using it while driving.