WOOD COUNTY, Ohio — A judge sentenced a Toledo woman on Thursday to 20-24 years in prison and a mandatory license suspension for life for causing a three-vehicle crash in Wood County in December that killed two people.
Samantha Hammons was found guilty on five counts:
- two second-degree felony counts of aggravated vehicular homicide
- two third-degree felony counts of aggravated vehicular assault
- one first-degree misdemeanor count of operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol
The Perrysburg Municipal Court released court documents that stated Hammons was under the influence of alcohol before getting behind the wheel, leading to the fatalities. The OVI conviction also carries a $375 fine.
The crash happened at the Lemoyne Road overpass just east of Stony Ridge around 7 p.m. on Dec. 9, causing the Wood County Sheriff's Office to close down Fremont Pike in both directions.
RELATED: Outpouring of support continues for child whose parents were killed in Fremont Pike Crash Saturday
An investigation showed that a Kia Soul being driven by Hammons, of Toledo, was traveling westbound at a high rate of speed when it struck the rear end of a Ford Fusion traveling in the same direction. The impact caused the Ford Fusion to spin across the road sideways into the eastbound lane where it was struck by an eastbound Dodge Journey.
The occupants of the Ford Fusion, Jacob Hahn, of Woodville, and Savannah Harding, were pronounced dead at the scene.
The crash left the victims' 9-month-old son without his parents, prompting an outpouring of support for the child and his extended family.
Abby Flynn, spokesperson for the victims' families, provided WTOL 11 with the following statement:
“She could have called a cab, she could have asked a friend to drive her, she could have stopped driving her car, she could have not gone to the bar. These decisions have forever changed the lives of countless people. Samantha Hammons' decisions have made an innocent 10-month-old baby an orphan.”
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