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Intoxicated driver receives 20 years after fatal crash involving four vehicles

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) — A Fort Wayne man who ran away from a four-vehicle crash along Coliseum Boulevard in November 2016 that left one man dead has been sentenced.

Brody L. Brunson Sr. was sentenced to 20 years with four years suspended for the Nov. 15, 2016, crash on Coliseum Boulevard at Parnell Avenue that killed 62-year-old Rickey D. Reisinger of Fort Wayne. A plea deal with prosecutors dropped two of the nine charges Brunson had been charged with.

According to investigators at the scene, a vehicle was speeding and slammed into a stopped vehicle at the red light. Police said after the impact, Brunson and a passenger in the initial car ran from the scene through retail parking lots.

Several minutes after the crash, police received a 911 call from a Brunson, who said his car had been stolen. When officers met with him, they realized he matched the description of the driver seen leaving the scene of the crash and detained him.

Surveillance video from a nearby retail store showed Brunson fleeing from the crash scene.

Brunson admitted in court that he was intoxicated with THC and hydrocodone during the crash. He told a judge he suffers from depression and anxiety and is being treated with medication.

Reisinger’s daughter said previously that she has compassion for Brunson and that she believes her father would feel the same way. His wife, Lori, told the court in a letter that she cannot and will not forgive Brunson for what happened.

A deputy prosecutor read a letter from Lori which stated that Rickey called her three minutes before the crash to tell her he was heading home early. The last words Lori heard from him were, “Love you. See you soon,” according to the letter.

Brunson wrote a letter to the family which was read by his attorney, and Brunson spoke before sentencing. He said, “I have done some things that have permanently changed many lives. I’m sorry for taking your husband. I’m sorry for taking your father. The English language doesn’t contain words that describe how I feel.”

Brunson was on probation at the time of the crash. In addition to his sentence, he must now serve two years for a felony theft. He has 196 days served on the charge.

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