A 40-year-old South Carolina man was sentenced to 25 years in prison in connection with an October 2011 collision with a multi-seat motorcycle that caused the death of two of the riders. A Spartanburg County judge imposed the sentence as relatives of the victims looked on. The man had pleaded guilty to three felony DUI charges after authorities said his blood-alcohol level was 0.21 at the time of the motorcycle accident.

The accident took place in Greer, South Carolina. According to the state Highway Patrol, the defendant was driving on SC Highway 417 when his car caught up to a three-seat motorcycle being driven by a 24-year-old man. The motorcycle had two passengers: a 20-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl.

The car crashed into the motorcycle's rear, throwing all three off the bike. The three were each badly injured, and the passengers died of their injuries. The 24-year-old survived but suffered fractures in his shoulder and hip, as a liver injury. The defendant was apparently also injured in the collision; a mug shot provided by WYFF-TV shows him wearing a neck brace.

Troopers arrested the defendant and accused him of causing the accident by driving 91 miles per hour and having a 0.21 BAL, more than twice the legal limit. The man, 40, was later charged with two counts of DUI involving death and one count of DUI involving great bodily injury. He pleaded guilty to the charges, which led to the Feb. 14 sentencing.

At the hearing, the count solicitor called the defendant's actions "reckless" and "pathetic." He asked that the defendant receive a long sentence to give him time to think about what he did.

Source: WYFF-TV, "Drunken Driver Who Killed 2 Sentenced," Feb. 15, 2012