You might have heard about an accident last year where the child of MMA fighter Marcus Kowal was killed. The child’s aunt, who was pushing his shoulder at the time, was also injured. The woman responsible for the crash has just pleaded guilty to charges of vehicular manslaughter, as the LA Times reports.
Donna Marie Higgins was immediately sentenced to 6 years in prison following her guilty plea to vehicular manslaughter this past Thursday according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
The incident occurred on September 3, 2016. Higgins, a longtime resident of Hawthorne, was driving to a local store. She plowed into a stroller being pushed by the toddler’s aunt. Kowal’s child, whose name was Liam Kowal was eventually declared braindead. The family took the child off of life support the following day.
The aunt pushing the strolled also received significant injuries.
Initially, Higgins was booked on felony hit-and-run and DUI charges. However, once Liam Kowal had died, the charges were upgraded to vehicular manslaughter
According to her attorney, Richard A. Hutton, Higgins has expressed remorse for the accident.
Kowal was at the courthouse for the guilty plea, according to his Facebook page where he posted: “Welcome to the karma cafe. There are no menus. You will get served what you deserve.”
Since the incident, Kowal has become an activist against those who drive under the influence. He circulated a petition calling on law makers to toughen legal-limit laws that allow someone to drive with a blood-alcohol content of .08% or lower.
If you have been charged with a DUI, you will need legal representation. Let our experienced attorneys represent you during your time in court. All of our attorneys are skilled in DUI defense. Call us today.
