Middletown – Just before 8:40 p.m., Friday, March 16, 2018, Michelle Park, now 35, of Earlville, Maryland failed to negotiate a slight rightward curve in the roadway, crossing the double yellow center line on Bethel Church Road, east of Fairview Avenue, and into the eastbound lane of travel, at which time she collided head-on with a 2018 Ford Escape, carrying the driver, a 53-year-old Florida woman, her front-seat passenger Gladys Arcuri, 73, and another 78-year-old woman, both of Middletown.
After the initial impact, both vehicles came to rest in the eastbound lane of Bethel Church Road, facing in a northerly direction.
The driver of the Ford, along with two female passengers, were admitted to the Christiana Hospital with serious injuries. Gladys Arcuri later succumbed to her injuries.
Park and her 1-year-old male rear-seat passenger were both transported to area hospitals with serious injuries.
In June 2019, Park pleaded guilty to Manslaughter, 2 counts of Assault First Degree, Driving Under the Influence of Drugs (3rd Offense), and Failure to Use Proper Child Restraint.
On Friday authorities announced that a Superior Court judge sentenced Park to 12 years and 3 months in prison, followed by 6 months of either home confinement or work release, then 2 years of probation.