WYOMING, Mich. (AP) — A 21-year-old snowplow driver has been sentenced to at least five years in prison for a fatal hit-and-run near Grand Rapids.
Austin Hill was remorseful in court Thursday, a month after pleading no contest to causing a fatal crash but failing to stop. Chelsea Crawford was hit in January while she walked on 52nd Street near Byron Center Avenue in Wyoming.
Crawford’s mother, Christina Fender, told Hill that her daughter would want him to know that he’s forgiven.
Defense attorney Craig Haehnel says it’s a “horrible tragedy” for both families. He says Hill didn’t stop after striking the 26-year-old Crawford because he “was in a panic.”
Hill will be eligible for release after five years.
