Undocumented Driver Charged With Manslaughter in Fatal Wreck
By Dale Hines
Blue RAM Media/Gulf Coast News
October 1, 2026
MOBILE, AL. A traffic collision on Sunday in Mobile killed a young boy and now a driver has been arrested.
According to Mobile police, 30-year-old Franklin Arana, an illegal immigrant, was driving a Toyota 4Runner southbound on Montlimar, near Cottage Hill, when he attempted to make a U-turn in the middle of the road.
Police said that Arana turned into the oncoming northbound traffic striking another vehicle with four occupants and causing Arana’s vehicle to flip onto its side.
According to the Mobile Police Department, a teenage boy in Arana’s passenger seat was killed when the SUV rolled over on top of him.
Everyone in the other car suffered minor injuries and has since been released from the hospital.
Police confirmed that Arana was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident, and Arana is charged with DUI manslaughter.
The Department of Homeland Security has taken Arana into custody suspected of being in the country illegally.
“Loss of life is never something we want to see,” said MPD Public Information Officer Blake Brown. “It takes just a split second for something bad to happen. So, we want you to drive safely. Pay attention, obey road laws. Again, if you’re making a U-turn, make sure it’s a legal U-turn. And especially pay attention to oncoming traffic.”
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