Local residents may recall the fatal car accident that occurred in Sheboygan following the Brat Days festival last August. A 19-year-old woman ran over three women in a crosswalk at North 17th Street and Niagara Avenue while driving away from the Wisconsin fair. A 60-year-old victim died two days later, though the other two pedestrians suffered minor injuries. Witnesses saw a car proceeding along 17th Street without its headlights on, and then observed the vehicle leave the scene of the car accident without slowing down. Though the young woman fled the scene, she was later arrested at her Sheboygan home.

Charged with nine felonies, the woman pleaded no contest on Jan. 30 to three felony charges as part of a plea arrangement made with prosecutors. It was agreed the prosecutor will ask for a prison term of six years, to be followed by 12 years of extended supervision. The three felony charges included two counts of injury by intoxicated use of a vehicle and one count of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle. Sentencing has been set for April 9.

While the criminal proceedings will soon be concluded, the woman could also face a civil lawsuit from the family of the victim.

When someone's negligence causes the death of another, Wisconsin law provides for the right of the victim's family to file a wrongful death lawsuit and potentially obtain monetary damages. While this can hardly replace a life tragically cut short, it can offer some means of justice to a grieving family that seeks to hold a wrongdoer fully accountable while also sending a message to others that drunk driving will not be tolerated on our roadways.

Source: Green Bay Press Gazette, "Plea deal in hit-and-run crash that killed Sheboygan woman after Brat Days," Josh Lintereur, Jan. 31, 2012