Driver charged with DUI in North Las Vegas teen’s death

A motorist accused of causing a crash that killed a North Las Vegas teen and critically injured her sister has been charged with driving under the influence.

The two new felony DUI charges filed against Triquan Hughes, 31, are in addition to previously filed charges of reckless driving, child abuse and driving without a license.

North Las Vegas police said Hughes was driving a BMW recklessly on Simmons Street on Saturday afternoon and, as he approached Craig Road, lost control of his vehicle, colliding with another vehicle, a utility pole, and two pedestrians. Janiah Gant, 17, of North Las Vegas was killed.

Gant’s sister, Leilani Wigfall, 19, was critically injured. The girls’ mother, Angela Anderson, of North Las Vegas, attended a brief court hearing for Hughes on Wednesday morning in North Las Vegas Justice Court.

With tears streaming down her face, Anderson said after the hearing that her surviving daughter is in a Las Vegas Valley hospital with life-altering injuries.

“She has a long way to go,” Anderson said. “She is getting CT scans around the clock, monitoring the bleeding on the brain. It is stabilized at the moment. Both of her legs are broken. Arm broken. She’s missing a lot of teeth. Her jaw is broken.

“But, she’s talking,” Anderson added. “They took her off the ventilator so she is talking. She ate. She had juice. I am happy with her progress.”

Anderson said of her late daughter, “Janiah was my shadow.”

“Always right next to me,” she said. “As a little baby I couldn’t put her down.”

Anderson said her late daughter was a shy and loving person.

Hughes is currently being held on $250,000 bail. He is expected to be back in court on Thursday with Clark County prosecutors seeking to have his bail increased after the additional charges were filed.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Contact Glenn Puit at gpuit@reviewjournal.com.