Jeffrey Eggeling, the man who killedSarah Hyland‘s teenage cousin in adrunk driving accident, is going to prison.
Eggeling, 37, was sentenced to 43 to 53 years in prison on Thursday for vehicular homicide and drunken driving, Douglas County Attorney Administrator Brenda D. Beadle confirmed to PEOPLE on Friday. The maximum sentence the judge could have imposed was the 53-year term.
The ruling comes more than eight months after Trevor Canaday’s death.
Trevor’s father, Bryan Canaday, who was also in the car and suffered head and facial injuries during the crash, reportedly spoke at the sentencing.
According to the newspaper, most Nebraska prison sentences are cut in half, meaning Eggeling must serve a minimum of 21.5 years before he is eligible for parole; absent parole, he will serve 26.5 years.
According to theOmaha World-Herald, he read from a statement in court Thursday, apologizing in part for all “the pain and fear and sadness and sorrow I’ve caused your families” and calling himself a “foolish, sick, cowardly human for running from that intersection.”
Eggelingpleaded no contestin July to motor vehicle homicide, driving under the influence and causing serious bodily injury, Douglas County Attorney Donald W. Kleine confirmed to PEOPLE at the time.
Omaha Police Department
In early December, Trevor, theModern Familystar’s 14-year-old cousin,died in Omaha, Nebraska, after a driver ran through a red light at an intersection and caused a collision.
“The driver of the at-fault vehicle, who was later identified as Jeffrey Eggeling, left the scene of the collision on foot,” the police report stated. “The collision resulted in two individuals from the other involved vehicle suffering life-threatening injuries. Eggeling was located on foot a short distance from the collision scene.”
The police also stated that the collision caused Trevor to be ejected from the vehicle. He later died after being transported to a local hospital.
Before his preliminary hearing, Eggeling had been “charged with motor vehicle homicide, DUI causing serious bodily injury and failing to stop and render aid,” according to theOmaha World-Herald. The publication also reported that the driver, who was driving a 2011 Ford Escape 69 mph in a 45 mph zone,had “a glass pipe, keys and a small bottle of alcohol” in his vehicle.
Additional charges of manslaughter and assault were later brought against Eggeling.
Sarah Hyland/Instagram
In the past, Eggeling had been convicted three times for driving while intoxicated and for operating a boat while drunk,E! News also reported. It was unclear whether he had an attorney who could comment on his behalf or had entered a plea.
According to the page, Trevor and Bryan were “driving to a show choir event and were involved in a serious car accident due to a drunk driver.”
source: people.com
