Kelly Ann Hudson, 43, was sentenced to nearly 11 years on Friday for killing an 81-year-old Kirkland woman and injuring three others in a DUI collision that occurred in August 2012.
King County Superior Court Judge Timothy A. Bradshaw sentenced Hudson to 130 months of prison time for one count of vehicular homicide, one count of vehicular assault and one count of reckless driving.
Hudson pleaded guilty to the charges in September but initially pleaded “absolutely not guilty” to the charges more than a year ago.
Hudson drove under the influence of prescription drugs and alcohol when her minivan struck a car head-on on Juanita Drive Northeast on Aug. 7, 2012.
In the car was Joyce Parsons, 81, who died in the collision, Parson’s brother Arthur Kamm and two family members Jenny Grieshaber and Daniel J. Grieshaber, who were all seriously injured.
A witness called 911 to report Hudson’s erratic driving and failure to stop for a stop sign the night of the accident. While on the phone with police, the witness saw Hudson cross the center line “as though to pass traffic” and hit a silver Toyota Prius head-on, according to charging documents.
The crash occurred near Fire Station 25 in Kirkland on Juanita Drive, and firefighters were first on the scene. Three people in separate cars behind the Prius, and a second car behind the minivan, also witnessed the crash, the documents continue.
Emergency personnel had to cut open the Prius, which was completely off the roadway to get the victims out of the vehicle. Parsons, who was sitting behind Kamm, died on scene.
When officers approached the minivan to question Hudson, they noticed signs of intoxication, including the smell of alcohol on her breath, droopy, watery, bloodshot eyes and slurred speech.
Hudson allegedly told officers that prior to driving she had taken an anti-anxiety medication with wine.
Kamm and Jenny Grieshaber were transported to Harborview in critical condition. Kamm had internal bleeding, while Jenny Grieshaber sustained a broken neck. Daniel J. Grieshaber was transported to Evergreen Hospital with a broken arm, among other injuries.
Hudson, who was held on a $500,000 bail, was freed from jail on Sept. 11, 2012 but was ordered to submit to weekly urine tests, wear an alcohol detection bracelet and could not take non-prescribed drugs as a condition of her release.
Along with her prison sentence, Hudson is barred from purchasing, possessing or using non-prescribed drugs or alcoholic beverages. She is not to set foot in establishments where alcohol is primarily sold, she is to undergo a DUI victim’s impact panel, and she is ordered to provide 120 community service hours to Mother’s Against Drunk Driving.
Furthermore, Hudson’s vehicle will be outfitted with an ignition interlock device upon her release from jail and will be on community custody for 18 months.
