The two women responsible for a car crash that killed a prominent game developer and injured his pregnant wife have been given lengthy prison sentences.
Jordyn Weichert and Samantha Bowling both were steering a Chevrolet Blazer on Sept. 3 when they lost control of their vehicle and slammed into an oncoming station wagon on Highway 20 in Washington state. The station wagon was driven by Brian Wood of Vancouver, B.C., who was lead designer for the game "Company of Heroes Online."
Wood was killed instantly. His wife, Erin Wood, reported that right before the crash, he managed to swerve their car so that he would take the blow instead of her. She believes his actions saved her life and their unborn daughter's life.
During an emotional sentencing hearing on Friday, a judge gave Weichert eight years in prison and gave Bowling five years in prison. Both had been convicted of three counts of vehicular homicide.
According to the Everett Herald, Weichert — who was 20 at the time — told Washington state troopers she was behind the steering wheel but decided to remove her sweater without stopping. She asked Bowling, 22, to steer for her. Weichert said that Bowling let go of the wheel before she could put her hands back on it. The Blazer began to drift off the road and both women grabbed the steering wheel and jerked it to the left. That's when the Blazer crossed into oncoming traffic and collided with the Woods' station wagon.
Police reported that heroin, cocaine, pot and even a gun were found at the scene of the accident in Weichert's vehicle. Two friends of the women, Francis Malloy and Jacob Quistorf, who were both backseat passengers in Weichert's vehicle, also were killed.
Since the accident, gamers have come out in force to support Erin Wood — something she has been extremely grateful for.
"Brian always told me about how close-knit and wonderful the video game community was, but I had no idea until this tragedy just how special a group it really is," she wrote to game blog Kotaku.
And Erin has since given birth to their daughter, Sierra Grace, and is doing everything she can to keep Brian's memory alive. See the video below for more about how she and her daughter are coping.
Just before sentencing, both Bowling and Weichert read statements apologizing for their actions, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Weichert said she knows she'll never be able to "right this wrong" and didn't expect forgiveness. But she said she wanted people to know that she's not a monster. And Bowling said she realizes there is no excuse for what she did.
"I am responsible for the death of the man who loved me and was the center of my world," she said, referring to Quistorf, who was her boyfriend.
Erin Wood also testified at Friday's sentencing hearing, talking about her husband and what it's like trying to live life without him.
"The first thought I have when I wake up in the morning is that he is gone and the last thought before I fall asleep at night is the same," she said.
(Thanks to the Everett Herald and Seattle P-I for the heads up.)
For more game news, please see:
- Why 2011 is an epic year for video games
- Bethesda is latest game company hit by hackers
- Martial artist shows off real life motion control gaming
- Sony hacked? Website lets you know
Winda Benedetti writes about games for msnbc.com. You can follow her tweets about games and other things right here on Twitter .