Douglasville driver sentenced for killing student
A Douglasville woman who pleaded guilty to a vehicular homicide charge in the death of a 17-year-old girl just after she stepped off a school bus was sentenced Tuesday to one year in prison and 14 years of probation.
Brandy Hart died on a rainy night last December when McManners’ Saturn SL1 hit the teen as she crossed the street. McManners said she was overwhelmed by conditions and didn’t realize she hit Hart even after her windshield was shattered by the collision.
“There’s nothing we can do to replace her,” Millie Barker, McManners’ sister-in-law, told Brandy’s relatives before sentencing, Channel 2 Action News reported. “Shirley would give her life if she could bring her back.”
McManners, who faced a possible 15-year prison sentence, offered her own apology in October after entering her guilty plea.
“I am sorry that that happened to your daughter, and I take full responsibility, that I didn’t mean to [cause her death],” she said, addressing the Hart family.
The accident occurred Dec. 6 on Cedar Mountain Road near Dorris Road. The Douglas County school bus transporting Brandy was stopped with its red lights activated at the time of the incident, police said.
Hart was transported to WellStar Douglas General Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
“Dreams have been taken,” Hart’s sister, Erica Billings, told the court during her victim impact statement. “Hope … has been taken from us.”
Family members say they plan to press state legislators to pass tougher laws against motorists passing stopped school buses.
About the Author
A native Atlantan, Boone joined the AJC staff in 2007. He quickly carved out a niche covering crime stories, assuming the public safety beat in 2014. He's covered some of the biggest trials this decade, from Hemy Neuman to Ross Harris to Chip Olsen, the latter of which was featured on Season 7 of the AJC's award-winning "Breakdown" podcast.
