KUNA, Idaho — A 70-year-old driver who hit and badly injured a teenage girl with his car in Kuna last fall was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years in prison.
Joseph Jefferies will spend at least ten years behind bars before he can become eligible for parole.
Jefferies was convicted of felony DUI by a jury in March. His blood-alcohol level was .096 - above Idaho's .08 limit - when he hit 16-year-old Sunshine Bryden at West Avalon Street and North School Avenue Sept. 2.
Bryden was walking her dog in a marked crosswalk when she was hit. The impact left her with a broken neck and a fractured leg. She underwent surgery, but was expected to make a complete recovery.
The girl's dog was also injured, but survived.
Jefferies was charged with DUI the month after the crash, following an investigation by the Ada County Sheriff's Office.
