By Cecelia Smith-Schoenwalder
The former Washington and Lee student who crashed an SUV that killed one student and seriously injured two others was sentenced Thursday afternoon to three years in prison with seven years suspended.
Nicholas Hansel, 22, pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated involuntary manslaughter, two counts of maiming while under the influence and one count of driving under the influence at the Rockbridge County Court.
At the plea hearing, Hansel addressed the court.
“I made a tragic error in judgment . . . and for that, I am profoundly sorry,” Hansel said. “I will continue to pray for forgiveness.”
Hansel was the driver of a 2006 Chevrolet Tahoe filled with 10 other W&L students in the early morning of Dec. 3, 2013. At about 1:10 a.m., Hansel attempted to make a right turn on Turkey Hill Road. The car hit a tree stump and overturned, killing 21-year-old Kelsey Durkin and seriously injuring two other students.
According to the prosecutor, Hansel had a blood alcohol content of 0.16 when he was at Stonewall Jackson Memorial Hospital after the crash. That figure is twice the legal limit in Virginia.
Hansel was originally indicted on six charges, but the plea agreement dropped the charges of reckless driving and refusal to take a blood alcohol test.
“There’s no winners,” Commonwealth’s Attorney Bucky Joyce said during the hearing. “Everyone is basically a loser in this kind of situation.”
“There is great tragedy on every side of this case. Today, hopefully, all involved can begin to move forward,” defense attorney John Lichtenstein said after the hearing.
Kelsey’s mother, Laura Durkin, released a statement reflecting upon her daughter’s life on Thursday.
“Her smile was magnetic with those twinkling, bright blue eyes and curly long blonde hair that fell in ringlets around her face. A light radiated from within. How truly devastated her mother, father and brother are without her joy and love of life. Her unconditional love.”
I would like to take a moment to reflect upon my daughter’s life. Kelsey was compassionate, effervescent and giving to everyone that she met and knew, always there for a friend in need. Her smile was magnetic with those twinkling, bright blue eyes and curly long blonde hair that fell in ringlets around her face. A light radiated from within. How truly devastated her mother, father and brother are without her joy and love of life. Her unconditional love. Time has not erased this sense of emptiness. There will forever be that something, that true joy, missing from our lives.
We would like to thank the W&L, Lexington and Fairfield County, CT communities for all of their love and support throughout the past year. You are a testament to how many lives that Kelsey touched. Older or younger, Kelsey branched outside her supposed peer group to interact with those from different backgrounds. She loved life, and gave love back in return.
-Laura Durkin, Mother of Kelsey