A 24-year-old Ohio man was sentenced to 15 years incarceration recently for his role in a car accident that claimed the life of one woman and left three men with serious injuries. The man pleaded guilty at the beginning of the year to several charges connected with the fatal car accident. He told the court he would reverse his actions if he could.
The man was reportedly out drinking with friends the night the accident occurred. He was driving drunk at a high rate of speed that police clocked at nearly 30 mph above the posted speed limit. He collided into the back of an SUV that had stopped at a red light. The SUV burst into flames.
The woman driving the SUV was killed. Three passengers in the man’s car suffered serious injuries. One was in a coma for an extended period of time. One suffered several broken bones and injuries to his back and the third suffered liver damage and significant burns.
The man pleaded guilty to multiple charges of vehicular homicide and assault, according to police reports. He was sentenced to 15 years and will be eligible for early release after serving 11 of them. He was also ordered to pay more than $1 million towards his victim’s medical expenses. His license was suspended for life.
The man says he must live the rest of his life coming to terms with the consequences of his actions. The family of the woman he killed in this fatal car accident are also learning to live with what happened. They retain the right to file a wrongful death lawsuit in an Ohio civil court. The men who were injured also have the option to file personal injury lawsuits. Successfully litigated claims could provide them with the resources they need to move forward from this tragic incident.
Source: Norwalk Reflector, Drunk driver gets 15 years in prison for fiery crash that killed local mom, Cary Ashby, March 13, 2014