January 16, 2016
A Philadelphia woman was sentenced to prison Friday for flipping her truck on the Atlantic City Expressway while drunk, causing the death of two passengers including a young child.
Prosecutors say that 47-year-old Roselyn D. Kornegay of Frankford was given two 8-year sentences -- which are to be served concurrently -- for a guilty plea to two counts of second-degree vehicular homicide.
The incident occurred around 7 a.m. on June 20, 2014, when Kornegay was driving her Ford pickup truck westbound on the Expressway in Hamilton Township.
She veered toward the center median, hit a guardrail and overturned the vehicle, authorities say.
There were five others in the car: two in the front seat and three in the truck bed.
Everyone in the truck was ejected during the crash. James Dennis, who was sitting in the front, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Kornegay and a 4-year-old boy who was sitting in the front were taken to Cooper University Hospital in Camden. The child died from his injuries.
The Press of Atlantic City reports that Korengay admitted to having a blood alcohol content of .157 when the crash happened.
The mother of the child who was killed, Shainia Davis-Holder, spoke in court Friday on Kornegay's behalf. She's suing the Tropicana casino that Kornegay was allegedly kicked out of that morning for serving her alcohol and forcing her out. More from the Press:
According to the lawsuit, “Ms. Kornegay had advised the security personnel that both she and Mr. Dennis had been served alcoholic beverages at the casino all night, were intoxicated and in no condition to drive, and further questioned why they were being ejected from the premises when their checkout was not until 12 p.m. the next day.”
Kornegay, who also pleaded guilty to drunk driving, will serve her time in New Jersey State Prison. She must serve 85 percent of her sentence before becoming eligible for parole.
