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Tara Guinnane, 49, who had pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicular assault, assault, and aggravated DWI, was sentenced on Wednesday, May 1, the DA's Office said.
The incident took place around 6:15 p.m., February 12, 2018, when Guinnane was driving while intoxicated on Wilson Street in Garden City when she struck a 50-year-old male pedestrian, the DA's Office said.
Guinnane lived across the street from the victim on Wilson Street, and the victim was walking home from the train station at the time of the incident.
Neighbors heard the collision and saw Guinnane and a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee near the injured victim. When Garden City Police Officers responded to the scene, they observed that Guinnane was intoxicated and found empty liquor bottles in her vehicle, the DA's Office said.
She initially denied striking the victim, they added.
Two hours after the incident, Guinnane had a blood alcohol level of .18 – more than twice the legal limit, the DA's Office said.
The victim, Brian Gormley suffered life-altering injuries as a result of the incident which has already required months of cognitive and physical therapy, they said.
“Brian Gormley, a married father of three, had just gotten off the train from work and was walking home on his own street when his intoxicated neighbor changed his life forever,” District Attorney Madeline Singas said. “This DWI defendant did not think about Mr. Gormley or any other innocent person who crossed her path. Brian Gormley will pay the price for this defendant’s criminal decision for the rest of his life. There is simply no excuse for anyone to drive drunk.”
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