A Tampa Bay-area woman has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for fatally striking a construction worker with her truck while under the influence of methadone.
A Hernando County judge gave 47-year-old Karen Macchione the maximum sentence on Tuesday. She was convicted last month of DUI manslaughter.
Macchione was driving on the Suncoast Parkway in November 2011 when her pickup truck veered into a closed lane where workers were painting lane markers. The truck hit 28-year-old Steve Thompson Jr., who later died.
Florida Highway Patrol troopers testified that Macchione's speech was slurred after the crash, and she seemed to be having trouble staying awake. Blood tests indicated that she had methadone in her system.
Macchione claimed she wasn't impaired and that a ringing cell phone caused the crash.
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