A man that proved to have a blood alcohol percentage of .222 when he killed two women and injured a third in a head-on collision, has been sentenced to two concurrent 23-year sentences and payment of a $25,000 fine, as reported by the Aiken Standard.
K.J., 30, pleaded guilty to two counts felony DUI for the January 8, 2011 car crash that took the lives of sisters S.R., 54 and B.A, 47.
K.J.’s blood alcohol level was almost three times the legal limit for driving.
Additional charges of DUI resulting in great bodily injury, in regards to a third passenger, J.S., were not pursued as J.S. had since made a complete recovery.
B.A. was driving a white Toyota on Highway 278 in Aiken, with her sister S.R. in the backseat and J.S. riding as the front seat passenger, when K.J. drove his blue Toyota over the center line and into B.A.’s vehicle.
K.J. was said to be “alive and responsive”, when approached by an off-duty EMT, “however, belligerent to the extent that (the EMT) moved on to the second vehicle” and discovered that B.A. was already dead from multiple body trauma.
S.R., responsive initially, stopped breathing in the ambulance before reaching the hospital. She died due to blunt force trauma.
Both K.J. and J.S. were taken to the hospital for treatment.
The off-duty EMT also reported witnessing K.J.’s erratic driving – allegedly passing other vehicles at a high rate of speed – before he slammed into the Toyota.
Several of the sister’s family members spoke in court, including their mother who recalled how she felt when she heard the news: “No, no, no, not both of them. My heart was torn from my body that day.”
B.A.’s husband of 30 years said in a letter, “All this was caused by a decision that changed everything, that touched all of our lives.” B.A. leaves behind two daughters, aged 12 and 14.
S.R.’s husband of 32 years echoed his brother-in-laws feelings regarding the entire family’s loss and said, “That same night, she was killed when Mr. (K.J.) decided to drink and drive. Mr. (K.J.) stole my wife from me as well as my son's and grandson's mother and grandmother….On that day, Mr. (K.J.) got behind the wheel, he was a lethal weapon.”
K.J.’s wife apologized for her failure to prevent K.J. from driving that night, to which K.J. added, “All the years of my life, I never thought I'd be in a situation like this. I just want to let them know that I'm truly, truly, truly sorry.”
Judge George James, after handing down the concurrent sentences said, “There is no amount of time that will be a label on the value of somebody's life. I think that belittles the value of their lives. Their lives are worth much more than any number of years that anybody can arbitrarily assign.”
If you are facing charges of DUI, DWI, OUI or OWI you need to contact a DUI attorney to best suit your needs. Only an attorney experienced with the DUI laws that govern your state can help.