McKeesport man pleads guilty, sentenced for accident that cost elderly woman her leg

June 22--Mary Randall was a "free-spirited senior citizen" who lived an active and independent life until a near-fatal car accident in December cost her a leg, her mobility and her independence, her daughter told a judge Monday.

"All she has left is the will to live," Randall's daughter, Cathy Singleton, told Common Pleas Judge Philip A. Ignelzi. "I don't know what sentence Justin Warman will receive, but I do know my mother has already been sentenced to life."

Although Ignelzi acknowledged that Warman, 27, of McKeesport had a green light when he struck Randall at about 40 mph as she was walking across Lysle Boulevard in McKeesport on Dec. 6, 2014, the judge called Warman "cowardly" for fleeing the scene.

"He left this woman to die. What else can I conclude?" the judge said.

Warman pleaded guilty Monday to accidents involving death or serious personal injury and driving with a suspended license. Ignelzi sentenced him to one to two years in jail followed by four years' probation. The judge also ordered Warman to pay $1,500 in fines and $8,000 for expenses not covered by Randall's insurance.

"It's only by God's grace and by the intervention of great paramedics that we're not here for a death," Ignelzi said.

Assistant District Attorney Michael Pradines said Randall, who had been out shopping for Christmas presents for her grandchildren the day Warman struck her, rolled onto the hood of the car and into the windshield before she was "catapulted" 30 feet. A witness said Warman quickly sped off after the crash.

Warman wore a red jail-issue jumpsuit and read aloud a letter to Randall, who was not in the courtroom. She spent five weeks in the hospital and is currently living in a nursing home, her daughter said.

"I sincerely apologize to you for what happened," Warman said. "My only, honest explanation was that I panicked. It was wrong, and I ask your forgiveness."

To Ignelzi, Warman also apologized for his actions, calling himself "irresponsible."

"This is not who I am or the way I want to live my life," he said.

His father, Lou Warman, asked Randall's family for forgiveness and the judge for mercy.

"Both families need and deserve closure," he said.

Adam Brandolph is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-391-0927 or abrandolph@tribweb.com.

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