WAYNESBORO — A woman who slammed her full-size SUV into another woman's car in February, killing her and injuring two children, is now facing the possibility of up to 36 years in prison after pleading guilty to multiple charges in Waynesboro Circuit Court.
Brianca E. Estes, 31, of Waynesboro, was convicted on Aug. 20 of aggravated involuntary manslaughter, driving under the influence of a narcotic, and three counts of driving under the influence - maiming.
Estes killed 31-year-old Brittany J. Comer of Waynesboro on the morning of Feb. 25, Comer's birthday.
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Previous evidence showed that Comer was on Hopeman Parkway and driving a Honda CR-V when Estes, behind the wheel of a Chevrolet Tahoe, crossed a double-yellow line at a high rate of speed, passed two motorists and slammed into the oncoming Honda.
Comer, who had two young children, ages 6 and 7, in her vehicle, including her daughter, was killed instantly. She was headed to William Perry Elementary School to drop off the children. "It was picture day that day," said Waynesboro Commonwealth's Attorney David Ledbetter.
A witness to the crash said at an earlier preliminary hearing that he tended to the injured girls in Comer's Honda, one who had a broken leg and the other who had facial lacerations.
Estes' wife, 45, a passenger in the SUV, suffered a brain injury and spent a "lengthy period" hospitalized, the prosecutor said.
The fatal crash took place just outside of a 25 mph school zone that Estes was about to enter as she sped westbound on Hopeman Parkway near Kate Collins Middle School. A black box in her SUV showed the impact speed was just over 70 mph, according to Ledbetter.
Both vehicles came to a rest near a 25 mph school zone sign. A nearby resident's Ring camera recorded the crash.
Comer's cause of death was listed by the medical examiner's office as blunt force trauma and a head injury.
Ledbetter said Estes used fentanyl the night before, and said she also used methamphetamine up to about three hours before the fatal crash. He said testing showed the amount of methamphetamine in her system was more than four times the level at which a person is presumed to be intoxicated on the drug.
The Waynesboro grand jury indicted Estes on July 14.
Estes, represented by Jessica Armstrong of the Staunton Public Defender's Office, remains jailed while awaiting a Dec. 8 sentencing date.
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Brad Zinn is the cops, courts and breaking news reporter at The News Leader. Have a news tip? Or something that needs investigating? You can email reporter Brad Zinn (he/him) at [email protected]. You can also follow him on X (formerly Twitter).
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Waynesboro woman pleads guilty to charges in deadly crash
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