Distracted Driver Gets 18 Months Of Jail

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Jul 26, 2010 7:20PM

Something we missed in the end-of-the-week rush last week: Lora Hunt, the woman convicted of reckless homicide in a distracted driving accident, was sentenced to 18 months in jail. Hunt crashed in to and killed motorcyclist Anita Zaffke in May 2009, distracted as she was painting her nails. Hunt had originally faced lesser charges which were later dropped in favor of more the more serious reckless homicide charge. Prosecutors had pushed for the full sentence of five years before the more lenient sentence was handed down. While Hunt will spend nights at the jail, she, "will be allowed to leave during the day for work, counseling and community service," according to the Tribune. Tacked on to the jail sentence are 240 hours of community service and 18 months of probation.

At the sentencing hearing last week, Hunt expressed remorse for what happened:

"I want the family to know how deeply sorry I am for my actions," 49-year-old Lora Hunt said, looking across the Waukegan courtroom at Zaffke's relatives. "Not a day goes by that I don't cry and feel their pain. I wish I could embrace this family and tell them personally how sorry I am."

Zaffke's son, Greg Zaffke II, told reporters afterwards in response to Hunt's words, "I've got family that's there to do that. My problem is that I can't hug my mom."