GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- A 22-year-old man is headed to prison for driving drunk and going the wrong way on U.S. 131, causing a crash that killed a grandmother.
Devin Hanna, of Rockford, was sentenced Wednesday, Dec. 1 to five to 15 years in prison on a charge of operating while intoxicated causing death.
Prosecutors said Hanna had a different drunken driving charge pending when the May 21 fatal crash happened.
State police said he was driving a Toyota 4Runner north in the southbound lanes of U.S. 131 near Ann Street about 2:40 a.m. when he crashed into a Buick Encore.
The Encore driver, 59-year-old Beckie Engstrom of Wyoming, died in the crash.
Hanna’s attorney said the 21-year-old had been drinking with some friends prior to the crash. His blood-alcohol level was 0.173, which is more than twice the legal limit of 0.08.
The victim’s daughter, Tessa Engstrom, talked about the emotional toll on her family’s life. She has three children and her mother was someone who played a big role in their lives.
She said her son cried with “tears out of pure devastation, confusion and hurt” and now has bouts of fear that something bad will happen to his parents when they leave the house.
Engstrom talked about seeing her mother’s mangled vehicle.
“Her car didn’t even look like a car. I was in disbelief,” she said.
She wasn’t allowed to see her mother’s body because of the extreme trauma.
“He killed my mom. She did not die of illness or old age,” but a disregard for other’s safety, a tearful Engstrom said.
“There are plenty of options out there that if you are too impaired to drive, you can make it home safely, Even my 6-year-old knowns that,” she said.
Hanna also teared up while giving a brief apology.
Judge Joseph Rossi said the tragedy was preventable, particularly if Hanna had learned from the drunken-driving charge that was pending when the May crash happened. He was out on bond for that offense.
“The person that you killed was a grandma. She was a mom. She had family and friends. And in an instant, you took her away from them,” Rossi said.
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