A Missouri man has been convicted in a drunken-driving crash in central Indiana that seriously injured another motorist two years ago, leaving her paralyzed.
A Boone County judge convicted Ryann Early, 36, of multiple drunken driving charges this week, including causing catastrophic injury when operating a vehicle while intoxicated, WRTV-TV reported.
Prosecutors said Early was driving at 79 mph on the morning of Oct. 28, 2020, in an area with a 40 mph speed limit when he entered oncoming traffic while trying to pass a vehicle and collided head-on with an oncoming vehicle.
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The other vehicle's driver suffered several injuries, including a spinal cord injury that left her paralyzed. She is now a quadriplegic and requires assistance for all self-care activities and mobility.
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"This crime and resulting life altering injuries were completely preventable," Prosecutor Kent Eastwood said in a statement.
Early told officers he had "a few beers" at a bonfire the night before the crash but stopped drinking around 10 p.m. After the crash, his blood-alcohol concentration was .0142%, nearly double Indiana's legal limit for driving of .08%,
Early is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 4.
