Emma Hackney had a lot to be thankful for this past Thanksgiving.
The 29-year-old grew up in a close-knit, supportive family in the upscale Preston Hollow area of Dallas, had loads of dear friends and was in a long-term relationship with a man she planned to eventually marry. She also had a rescue dog she adored and a job she loved, working as an attorney for a large law firm in Dallas.
“She was so funny, so vivacious,” Hackney’s mother, Dr. Gail Hackney, said as she gathered with family Wednesday at her home. “A true original,” added Hackney’s brother-in-law Ian Pinholster.
Hackney’s life tragically came to an end the Sunday after Thanksgiving in a car crash in the Turtle Creek area of Dallas. Police said it was caused by a speeding and intoxicated driver.
Emma Hackney, 29, died Sunday evening in a car crash in the Turtle Creek area of Dallas. Dr. Gail Hackney, her mother, remembered her daughter as funny and vivacious.
Courtesy of the Hackney family
Preston Petty, 26, was arrested and charged with intoxicated manslaughter with a vehicle and intoxicated assault with a vehicle. He was booked into the Dallas County jail after his bond was set at $650,000.
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Online records show Petty is a graduate of Highland Park High School and played on the golf team. His LinkedIn profile indicates he was hired in June as an assistant golf pro at the Omni Barton Creek Resort and Spa in Austin, but a staff member said Thursday that he’s no longer employed there.
Online Travis County court records indicate Petty was free on bond in two pending criminal cases there when Sunday’s crash occurred. The first happened Aug. 24, when Petty was charged with behaving recklessly with a firearm and released on a $7,500 bond. Less than two months later, on Oct. 18, Austin police charged him with possessing meth. His bond in that case was set at $5,000.
Dallas attorney Peter Barrett, the lawyer listed as representing Petty in the Travis County cases, confirmed Thursday that he’s representing him in the Dallas County case. Barrett declined to provide any further information.
Last week’s crash occurred shortly before 5:30 p.m. at the intersection of Turtle Creek Boulevard and Gillespie Street, according to police.
Hackney and her boyfriend, Franklin Fotopoulos, had just taken their dog, Rocco, to a park in the Turtle Creek area and were about to get into Hackney’s 2017 Porsche Macan when Fotopoulos said he saw a black Tesla sedan hurtling toward them.
“It was speeding at more than 100 miles per hour,” Fotopoulos said. “I yelled and waved my arms, trying to get it to stop.”
A short time later, Hackney and Fotopoulos were sitting in her car, waiting at a red light on Turtle Creek Boulevard, when the speeding Tesla appeared again.
“I saw it for probably less than a second and then … it was just there,” Fotopoulos said as he grew emotional. “It all happened so fast.”
Emma Hackney is pictured with her boyfriend, Franklin Fotopoulos, at her sister Maggie’s wedding in 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Courtesy of the Hackney family
The Tesla slammed into a couple of trees, snapping them at their base, and took down a crosswalk sign before hurtling into the eastbound lanes of Turtle Creek Boulevard, according to an arrest warrant affidavit filed by police. There, it struck a curb in the median, went airborne and crashed into Hackney’s car. After knocking Hackney’s car onto its side, the Tesla landed on top of it.
Lyft driver Jason Keeling was driving north on Cedar Springs Road with a passenger in his vehicle when he first saw the speeding car.
“As I’m going through the intersection, I see the Tesla coming around the curve,” Keeling said. “He was clearly driving way too fast. At that point, I said, ‘Holy (expletive). Did you see that?’ to my rider, but she was looking at her phone and didn’t see anything.”
Keeling said he heard the impact of the crash, but didn’t see it.
“I told my rider, ‘I’m very sorry, but I have to stop,’ ” he said. The woman understood, he said, and decided to walk to her destination, which was just about a block away.
Keeling and another man hurried over to the crash site to see if they could help. Two women joined them, with one saying she was a nurse, Keeling said.
Fotopoulos, who had suffered multiple cuts on his forehead, emerged from the vehicle covered in blood, Keeling said. He and the other man who had arrived on the scene got Hackney out, Keeling said. Fotopoulos then began looking for their dog, a blue American Staffordshire Terrier, but was unable to find him. The bloodied dog, which had been ejected from the car and suffered multiple cuts, somehow found his way back to the couple’s apartment, which Fotopoulos said was about a 45-minute walk from there.
Emma Hackney is pictured with her adopted dog, Rocco. Hackney died Nov. 30 in a car crash in the Turtle Creek area of Dallas. Rocco was injured in the crash and was able to find his way home — about a 45-minute walk — alone.
Courtesy of the Hackney family
The Tesla had so many airbags that had deployed, Keeling said he couldn’t see inside.
“I didn’t think there was any chance that anyone in there had survived,” he said.
First responders had to cut one of the Tesla’s doors to get the passengers out, according to the arrest affidavit. In addition to Petty, his mother, Jennifer Petty, was in the car. She suffered a fractured spine, broken nose and a possibly fractured heel.
At the scene, Preston Petty initially denied being the driver, but then conceded it was him, the affidavit said. The 2025 Tesla Model 3 he was driving is owned by his mother, according to police. When asked what happened, Petty said he was driving with his phone in his hand, and his mother was trying to grab it from him, the affidavit said. He denied drinking or taking drugs that day, but the affidavit said he failed field sobriety tests and officers smelled alcohol on him.
Petty was informed he was being detained after he told officers he was leaving. He didn’t realize he’d hit another vehicle until police told him, the affidavit said, at which point he asked if the other driver was OK.
Petty declined medical treatment but was taken to a hospital anyway. Police had to obtain a search warrant to get a sample of his blood drawn for testing after he refused to voluntarily provide it, the document said.
On Wednesday, Hackney’s family shared memories of her as they gathered in the living room of her mother’s home. The family had already suffered a devastating loss three years ago, when Hackney’s beloved father, Dr. Fred Hackney, died after a long illness.
Emma Hackney is pictured with her father, Fred Hackney. He died in 2022 after a long illness. Hackney died Nov. 30 in a car crash in the Turtle Creek area of Dallas.
Courtesy of the Hackney family\
”She was so kind, goofy and funny,” said Hackney’s sister, Maggie Pinholster. “She loved her friends and family fiercely, and she was the best little sister. We had so much fun together, and I laughed my hardest with her. I was always jealous of her ability to be so uniquely herself.”
Hackney and Fotopoulos both attended The Episcopal School of Dallas, where they met in the fifth grade. Hackney later earned a degree in marketing and communications from the University of South Carolina and worked at Scottish Rite Hospital in Dallas for several months before deciding to pursue a law degree.
“She studied very, very hard for the LSAT and did really well,” her mother said.
Emma Hackney, far right, is pictured with her family, from left, sister Maggie Pinholster, mother Gail Hackney and father Fred Hackney during a family trip to Florence, Italy in 2013.
Courtesy of the Hackney family
Hackney was awarded a dean’s scholarship from Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law and graduated in 2023. She began working for Jackson Walker LLP’s finance and banking division afterwards.
About a year and a half ago, Hackney adopted her beloved Rocco after seeing a post on Instagram that indicated he was going to be euthanized soon if he wasn’t adopted. The next big joy in her life arrived eight months ago, when her niece Lizzie was born.
“She really loved being an aunt,” Hackney’s sister Maggie said.
Funeral services for Hackney will be held at 4 p.m. Tuesday at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Dallas. The family is expecting a big turnout.
“She was so loved,” Fotopoulos said. “Her loss has caused a hole in so many hearts that will never be filled” added her sister, Maggie.