A driver who struck and killed another man in downtown Atlanta in July 2012 was sentenced Monday to seven years in prison.
A Fulton County jury found Joshua Taylor guilty of vehicular homicide, driving under the influence and DUI-less safe (as the result of drugs) for the death of 31-year-0ld Ronnie Bascom, court officials said Tuesday.
According to police, Bascom was exiting southbound I-85 on the ramp to 17th Street when he hit the guard rail in the early morning of July 17, 2012. He got out of his car to inspect the damage and a pair of good Samaritans stopped to help, one of them waving a flashlight to warn off oncoming motorists, authorities said.
Taylor came speeding onto the ramp and hit Bascom’s car, which, in turn, struck and killed Bascom, sending him flying to a grassy median nearby, prosecutors said.
Taylor’s car continued on the ramp and struck a concrete wall, where it burst into flames.
Emergency workers responding to the first wreck pulled Taylor to safety, authorities said.
Police said Taylor refused to submit to a blood test, and officers obtained a search warrant allowing them to take a blood sample from him.
His blood alcohol level was determined to be 0.196, more than twice the legal limit.
Prosecutors said Taylor tested positive for a mix of drugs, including marijuana, cocaine and the anxiety medication Xanax.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Kimberly Esmond Adams sentenced Taylor, 24, to seven years in prison followed by three years of probation, court officials said.
