The driver involved in a Massachusetts car accident on Route 8 that killed a 29-year-old Tolland woman has been sentenced. The crash occurred in March 2009 when the driver, a 48-year-old Connecticut woman who was found to be operating under the influence of alcohol, collided head-on with the victim’s vehicle.
After pleading guilty to charges including motor vehicle homicide while under the influence of alcohol, she was sentenced to six to ten years in prison for drunk driving. Because she apologized to the family of the victim and has no prior record, her lawyer requested a lighter sentence.
Here in Massachusetts, defendants found guilty of vehicular homicide while operating under the influence are subject to mandatory jail time. The passage of Melanie’s Law means stricter penalties on drunk driving, including a mandatory minimum of two and a half years in state prison and a maximum of up to 15 years. Drivers may also have their license revoked and get substantial fines. Manslaughter by motor vehicle carries a minimum mandatory jail sentence of five years.
Source: Conn. woman gets prison time for fatal Mass. crash, Boston Herald, October 5, 2010
The Boston car accident law firm of Altman & Altman can answer your legal questions if you or a loved one has been injured on the road.