A high-speed, alcohol-fueled crash on a Carroll County highway ended in a fatal head-on collision and a prison sentence for the driver, prosecutors said.
WESTMINSTER, MD – A Maryland woman has been sentenced to nine years in prison after prosecutors say she drove drunk at nearly twice the speed limit and caused a head-on crash that killed a 78-year-old man, just one day after she had been charged with DUI nearby.
Lydia Hanson, 32, was convicted April 1 of negligent automobile manslaughter in the death of Richard Snyder, according to the Carroll County State’s Attorney’s Office. She also was found guilty of DUI in a separate incident from the previous day and received a one-year suspended sentence in that case.
Crash details and prior DUI charge
The fatal collision occurred March 16 along Route 97. Prosecutors said Hanson was driving a Volkswagen southbound while Snyder was traveling north in a Chevrolet truck when multiple witnesses observed Hanson “driving erratically” and reaching speeds up to 99 mph in a 55 mph zone.
Hanson crossed into the northbound lane, causing several vehicles to “swerve to avoid being struck” before crashing head-on into Snyder’s truck, the State’s Attorney’s Office said. Maryland State Police responded to the scene north of Route 26 around 2 p.m.
Snyder was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where he later died. Hanson was flown to a regional trauma center.
According to prosecutors, Hanson “refused a blood test to determine her blood alcohol content,” prompting troopers to obtain a search warrant. Testing later showed her blood alcohol content was 0.34, more than four times the legal limit.
“Incredibly, the defendant had also been stopped for DUI the day prior and within a few miles of where the collision occurred,” prosecutors said.
Judge cites severity of conduct
During sentencing, the judge sharply criticized Hanson’s actions and the circumstances leading up to the crash.
“These are the worst facts I have seen in any of these cases,” the judge said. “You didn’t intend to kill the victim, but you did intend the behavior that led up to it. The day before you were arrested and charged, you would think that would have been a wake-up call to you, and it wasn’t.”
Snyder is remembered in his obituary as a longtime auto body mechanic and car enthusiast. He was married to his wife for 52 years.
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