A Frederick woman was sentenced Friday to 12 years of probation for her role in a road-rage incident that killed two people and left her paralyzed from the neck down.
Nacole Lee Grim, 30, was by a Weld County jury on two counts of vehicular homicide caused by reckless driving and one count of third-degree assault.
On April 15, 2015, Grim was driving a GMC Envoy southbound on I-25 near Mead when she lost control, overcorrected and smashed through a cable barrier into oncoming traffic. The subsequent crash killed Dang Many “Dani” Manhkhong, 34, of Parker, and Andrea Weiss, 39, of Fort Collins. Another driver suffered injuries.
A witness who testified at the trial said prior to the crash Grim was traveling at a high rate of speed in the left lane. As the witness moved into the right lane, Grim flipped her off, extending her middle finger, and continued down the interstate, according to a Weld County District Attorney’s Office media release. During the exchange, in which Grim was distracted from driving and in which she took her hand off the steering wheel during a high rate of speed, she drifted into the right lane and overcorrected, leading to the crash.
Weld County District Court Judge Shannon Lyons also sentenced Grim to carry out 100 presentations on the impacts of road rage, including how it affected the victims and herself, the DA’s office said. Among the audiences, Grim must give a presentation to every high school in Weld County.
She was also ordered to participate in the production of a public service announcement, which will be used at the discretion of the Weld County District Attorney’s Office.
Manhkhong’s sister, Linda, was among family members of the victims who spoke at the sentencing.
“Her life was taken away unexpectedly and undeserved,” Linda Manhkhong told the court. “The loss has sent shock waves through my family. We’re still grieving, and without question, there will always be a void in our hearts.”
