A Stone Mountain man was sentenced to probation after admitting to driving under the influence of drugs in a February crash that caused a hearse to flip three times.
Two funeral directors inside the hearse were injured when a car driven by Troy Michael Hickey slammed into the vehicle at a Lilburn intersection Feb. 8, according to authorities. Police had stopped traffic to allow a funeral procession for 90-year-old Evelyn Mary Osborne to pass.
The family told Channel 2 Action News they watched in horror as the two vehicles collided at the intersection of Lawrenceville Highway and Rockbridge Road. They had to move Osborne’s body into another casket and get another hearse before they could proceed with her burial.
“Whenever I close my eyes, that’s what I see — my mother tumbling,” Norma Osborne Stanley said. “Every time I close my eyes.”
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After failing a field sobriety test, Hickey was arrested at the scene on misdemeanor charges of DUI, failure to obey traffic signs and failure to yield to a funeral procession. He was later charged with failure to maintain lane.
Hickey, 25, pleaded guilty Oct. 10 to all but the charge related to the funeral procession, which prosecutors in the Gwinnett County Solitictor’s Office agreed to drop, online court records show.
Prosecutor Chelsey Murray told AJC.com on Friday that Hickey was charged with misdemeanors because of the nature of the two funeral director’s injuries. They were not serious enough to ramp up the case to a felony.
“Therefore we prosecuted the case as charged initially by law enforcement, and did not seek for the district attorney to review the case as a possible felony,” Murray said in an email.
Hickey was sentenced to two years probation. A judge ordered Hickey to pay an $800 fine, complete 40 hours of community service and be evaluated for substance abuse. During his probation, he may be required to seek treatment and will be subjected to random drug and alcohol screenings.
He was also sentenced to 10 days in jail, with credit for time served, consistent with the solicitor’s policies on first-time DUI offenders.
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