Clinton County woman sentenced for hit-and-run while driving under the influence
A Clinton County woman who had already been convicted of driving drunk when she crashed her SUV into a motorcyclist in rural Highland in 2016 was sentenced Friday to five years in an Illinois Department of Corrections prison.
Christy G. Cummins, of Carlyle, was sentenced in Madison County Court after pleading guilty to aggravated driving under the influence on Feb. 18. The state had argued for a 10-year sentence out of a maximum term of 12 years.
She’ll have to serve at least 85% of the sentence with a year of mandatory supervised release.
Cummins, 41, was arrested on Aug. 16, 2016, shortly after the collision which left Josh Doerr, of Pocahontas, with serious injuries. She was charged with aggravated driving under the influence and failure to report an accident.
Doerr, now 35, was on a motorcycle that was parked when he was struck by a 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by Cummins, court records state. His motorcycle was pushed about 50 yards south on Baumann Road, Highland-Pierron Fire Department Chief Steve Plocher said.
Doerr was flown to St. Louis University Hospital, where he was in a coma and had his right kidney removed. As a result of the accident, he is now paralyzed and bed-bound at a nursing home.
At the sentencing hearing, both of Doerr’s parents and three of his sisters delivered victim impact statements, arguing that due to Cummins’ actions, each of their family members now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.
For Lalonna Doerr, his mother, the sound of helicopters near her home immediately transports her back to the scene where she saw her son airlifted by ARCH Air Medical Service, she said. Doerr’s sister Jenny, who witnessed the hit-and-run, told the judge she could not drive for a long period of time after the accident. Another sister, Jessica, says she cannot have Starbucks coffee or smell certain hand sanitizers because they remind her of the hospital waiting room.
Moreover, Doerr’s family members said that his life will never be back to normal. Instead of caring for his 7-year-old daughter, Doerr is the one who needs round-the-clock care.
Cummins, who testified at the hearing, said she regrets incident and wishes she had done things differently.
“If I could take back that entire night, I would,” she said tearfully on the stand. “I see their pain and I apologize for all of it.”
At the time of the accident, Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Gibbons said deputies tracked Cummins down through one of her license plates, which was knocked off her SUV in the collision and was found at the scene.
Cummins had previously been charged with driving under the influence in 2012 in Clinton County. In that case, her driving record with the Illinois Secretary of State had no blemishes because she received court supervision.
This story was originally published July 24, 2020 at 3:28 PM.
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