Newsletter Signup
Stay up to date on all the latest news from Boston.com
Woman sentenced to 60 days in jail for 2018 crash that killed toddler
“He made everyone’s day better just by being in it.”
The woman convicted of causing a crash that killed a toddler in South Boston four years ago was sentenced Thursday to 60 days in jail.
Charlene Casey, 67, had faced up to 2½ years behind bars for her role in the chain-reaction crash that killed 2-year-old Colin McGrath. She was sentenced to a year in jail with 60 days to serve and the balance suspended, plus two years probation, 100 hours of community service, and a loss of her license for 15 years, The Boston Globe reported.
Casey was found guilty last week of negligent motor vehicle homicide.
McGrath died on July 25, 2018, as a result of a crash near the intersection of East Sixth Street and L Street. Casey, after stopping briefly, was waved forward by another driver. Her Toyota Prius hit a van traveling through the intersection, which then veered out of control and jumped a nearby curb.
Advertisement:
Colin McGrath was being pushed in a stroller on that sidewalk by a nanny. Colin’s sister, Sloane, was also with them. The van hit the sibling, seriously injuring Sloane and killing Colin.
Brendan McGrath, Colin and Sloane’s father, read a note that Sloane had written to Casey in court, according to the Globe.
“You ruined everything,” she wrote. “I’m not going to forgive you until you say, sorry. You did something very bad. You need to take responsibility for this at some point. It’s not okay. Sincerely, the very mad Sloane.”
Advertisement:
Colin’s mother, father, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and nanny were all visibly emotional as they took turns on the witness stand Thursday, remembering the young boy. As she listened, Casey repeatedly dabbed her eyes with a tissue, the Globe reported.
“He made everyone’s day better just by being in it,” Kerri McGrath, Colin’s mother, reportedly said of her son. “He had such a sense of humor, and he was so damn smart… I will never see my son grow up, graduate, start a life of his own, dance with him at his wedding. My husband will never play catch with him, coach his games, have a boy’s day, teach him how to tie a tie, or teach him how to become a man. My daughter has begged us for another sibling.”
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com