A California woman has been charged over a fatal three-vehicle crash on Interstate 15 in Utah after investigators said her phone accessed a pornography website less than two minutes before the collision.
Christine Chao, 44, of Rosemead in Los Angeles County, faces one count of automobile homicide involving use of a handheld communications device, reported as a second-degree felony. The charge was filed on 20 October 2026, more than four months after the 12 June collision near Levan in Juab County.
The crash killed Scott LaVar Lichfield, 66, of Fillmore, Utah, who was travelling as a passenger in another vehicle. Chao has been charged, not convicted. The allegations about her driving and use of her phone are for the court to determine.
What happened on Interstate 15?
The crash happened at approximately 1.48pm on Friday 12 June, on the northbound carriageway of I-15 near milepost 209. Roadworks had slowed traffic. According to the subsequent charging documents, a vehicle driven by Chao struck the rear of a slower-moving car, which was forced into another vehicle ahead. All three vehicles left the roadway.
Contemporaneous reporting, citing Utah Highway Patrol, described a blue vehicle colliding with a white sedan and a black SUV, with the blue vehicle eventually coming to rest against a fence. Emergency responders attended and a medical helicopter was brought in. Lichfield sustained fatal injuries. Accounts have differed about whether he was pronounced dead at the scene or after being transported to hospital, so the precise location of his death remains unclear from available reporting.
KSL’s report published on the day of the crash confirms that the fatal collision and significant road closure were known in June, before allegations about phone activity became public in October.
What investigators say the phone evidence shows
In accounts of the charging document, prosecutors say Chao told responding officers she was at fault for the collision. Investigators reported that they found no brake marks indicating she had slowed before the impact. Officers seized her mobile phone and obtained a warrant to examine its contents.
According to the charging document quoted by Utah news outlet KSL, the examination showed her phone had accessed XVideos, an adult-video website, less than two minutes before the crash.
That is a significant allegation, but the distinction matters: the published description of the forensic evidence establishes an alleged website visit shortly before the collision. It does not, on its own, prove that Chao was watching a video at the exact moment of impact, or establish precisely how she was using or holding the phone. Those questions, including causation and the legal standard for criminal negligence, remain for the proceedings.
Nor should her reported acknowledgement that she was at fault for the collision be treated as a guilty plea or an admission to the specific criminal charge.
Who was Scott LaVar Lichfield?
Lichfield was 66 and lived in Fillmore. According to family details reported from his obituary, he and his wife had marked their 39th wedding anniversary on 11 June, the day before the crash. He was a father of five and a grandfather who enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren, reading, playing games and building with Lego.
He was also remembered for playing Father Christmas, a role he enjoyed so much that children sometimes approached him in public to ask whether he really was Santa. The allegations surrounding the accused driver’s phone have attracted attention, but at the centre of the case is the death of a man and the loss experienced by his family.
Timeline: from the June crash to the November hearing
- 11 June 2026: Scott and his wife celebrate their 39th wedding anniversary, according to obituary reporting.
- 12 June, approximately 1.48pm: Three vehicles collide in slowed northbound I-15 traffic near Levan. Scott Lichfield is fatally injured.
- 12 June, afternoon and evening: Utah Highway Patrol investigates; the northbound interstate is closed and traffic diverted. Local media report the fatal crash.
- June to October: Investigators examine the collision and phone records, following a search warrant. The public reporting reviewed does not establish the exact date of the forensic examination.
- 20 October: Prosecutors file the second-degree felony automobile homicide charge against Christine Chao.
- 21 to 22 October: Utah and Los Angeles news organisations publish details of the allegation about an adult website.
- 17 November 2026: Chao is scheduled to make her initial appearance in Utah’s Fourth District Court. This date is in the future as of this report.
Has Christine Chao disappeared?
There is no verified basis to say that she is missing, has fled or is evading the authorities. According to ABC4’s reporting, Chao was not arrested and was instead issued a summons to appear in court. The Los Angeles Times also reported, citing a Utah Highway Patrol spokesperson, that she was not arrested at the crash scene. The announced initial appearance is 17 November.
A summons is a formal requirement to attend court, not evidence that a suspect is untraceable. Public information reviewed for this article does not establish Chao’s current day-to-day whereabouts, whether she has retained legal counsel or how she intends to respond to the charge. No plea or verdict has been reported in the material reviewed.
What does the Utah charge mean?
Utah Code Section 76-5-207.5 covers automobile homicide involving a handheld wireless communications device while driving. The underlying distracted-driving law, Section 41-6a-1716, specifically restricts manual internet access and viewing video while a vehicle is moving, subject to statutory exceptions.
Although some court and media descriptions call the offence “text messaging or email automobile homicide”, it is not limited to writing text messages or emails. The homicide provision distinguishes negligence from criminal negligence; the latter can make the offence a second-degree felony. Prosecutors must prove the required elements of the charge. A filed charge is not a finding that they have done so.
Watch: CBS Los Angeles report
CBS Los Angeles covered the charge and showed photographs credited to Utah Highway Patrol. The report is included below as a secondary source, not as independent proof of any allegation.
Watch the CBS Los Angeles report on YouTube.
Sources and case status
Key reporting includes KSL’s contemporaneous crash coverage; KSL’s account of the charging document; CBS Los Angeles; and the Utah statutory provisions linked above.
Case status at 26 October 2026: charge filed; initial appearance scheduled for 17 November; no determination of guilt reported. Fish 4 News will update this report if material, verified developments emerge.
