Man admits to drivng 154 mph when he crashed, killing man
9/29/2011CINCINNATI — A man admitted to driving 154 mph in a highway emergency lane when he hit a disabled car in southwest Ohio, killing the occupant, pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter and inducing panic.
Stanley Ivey, 58, of Louisville in northeast Ohio, entered his plea Wednesday in a Hamilton County courtroom in exchange for prosecutors dropping a vehicular homicide charge.
Ivey admitted in court that he was speeding on southbound Interstate 71 on Oct. 4, 2010, when his turbocharged Mustang slammed into the back of James Lester’s disabled car, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported. The crash crushed Lester’s car to half its size, causing it to catch fire with Lester inside.
“My husband burned on the side of the road,” his widow, Karen Lester, of Loveland, said. “All I got was ashes.”
Horrified motorists who had seen Ivey speed past them had called police. Ivey, who was driving 89 mph over the speed limit, was weaving in and out of traffic and driving at time in both emergency lanes, Assistant Hamilton County Prosecutor Seth Tieger told the judge.
Tieger said Ivey was on his way to work as the chief financial officer for a hospital. Ivey said he was in a hurry to get to Nashville, where he said he was a songwriter.
Ivey, who was broke his arm, ankle and back and suffered a brain bruise, said at a previous hearing that he didn’t remember the crash because of blackouts caused by a severe liver disorder.
A message was left for Ivey’s attorney on Thursday.
Ivey could get up to 11 1/2 years in prison at his Oct. 31 sentencing.