Rodney Koon, 46 years old, was sentenced to 12 years in prison for two counts of felony death by vehicle, involuntary manslaughter of an unborn child and driving while impaired.
On Aug. 11, Koon, an Asheville NC limousine driver, was driving while impaired and caused a crash that killed 26 year old Will Reid and his 25 year old wife pregnant wife, Jamie. Their unborn child was killed after Jamie succumbed to her injuries caused in the crash.
Emergency responders reported Jamie died in the crash, and their unborn child with her. Will Reid was conscious when crews arrived on the scene; however, he did not realize his wife and unborn child had already died, so he pleaded for responders to save her.
Will later succumbed to his injuries after arriving at the hospital.
The couple had traveled to Asheville to attend a friend’s wedding, and had hired Koon’s limousine service to drive them to the Asheville Regional Airport for their return flight home. It was on the drive to the Asheville Regional Airport that Koon lost control of the limo, ran off the highway, and hit a tree at 55 miles per hour.
The young family had been siting in the backseat of Koon’s limousine when the crash occurred.
During his court hearing on June 2, 2014 in Asheville, NC, Rodney Koon pleaded guilty to all counts. According to the Asheville Citizen-Times, it was noted by Investigators in a search warrant application that Koon’s actions “directly contributed to the collision”.
Tragedies such as this shouldn’t go unpunished. If you or someone you love have been a victim of a driver driving under the influence, don’t face the pain alone. It is your right to take action against them by utilizing a professional personal injury lawyer. To learn more, contact a North Carolina personal injury lawyer at Kelly & West today. We represent individuals in Raleigh and throughout the state.
Sources: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/husband-asked-rescuers-save-pregnant-wife-article-1.1427062
http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/06/03/3907757/nc-limo-driver-gets-12-years-in.html?sp=/99/102/110/
