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LISBON – A 25-year-old Salineville man was sentenced to 30 months in prison for aggravated vehicular assault and OVI after a drunk-driving accident which seriously injured his passenger in 2013.
Hugh A. Miller, Alderlick Road, also had his license suspended for 10 years and was fined $525 by Columbiana County Common Pleas Court Judge Scott Washam.
Miller was driving a 1998 Ford Escort westbound on Alderlick Road east of Steubenville Pike at about 3 a.m. July 6, 2013 when he lost control. The vehicle left the roadway, struck a ditch, overturned, struck a fence post and tree before coming to rest on the fence post. One of his passengers, Alexander Gromley, was severely injured, including a closed skull fracture with intracranial hemorrhage, brain contusion and injuries to the spinal cord, kidney and spleen. Miller reportedly had a BAC of .197.
Assistant County Prosecutor Ryan Weikart told Washam it was not Miller’s first OVI, it was his second and he tested with a higher blood alcohol content level during this OVI than his previous one. He also was driving the car with a license plate for a pickup on it.
Gromley spoke before sentencing, telling Washam about his memory issues from that day and the double vision problem he still faces. He said he recovered enough to go back to work, but was unable to keep up with the job he used to have, so he was “demoted to inventory,” a job he does not enjoy. Gromley said many tasks take him twice as long as they used to.
“I’m extremely upset Mr. Miller fled the scene,” Gromley said. “Friends don’t leave friends in the woods with a collapsed lung and a head injury.”
Gromley’s father, Fred Gromley also spoke, voicing similar frustration that Miller fled after the accident, which happened when he had no license and was not even supposed to be driving. Fred Gromley said if it was not for another passenger, Payton Adams, who regained consciousness and was well enough to go for help, his son probably would have died.
The father said the doctors gave his son a 30 percent chance of survival and told he and his wife their son was not going to fully recover. Doctors told them to look for a long-term care facility for him. Gromley said his son was a fighter and credited his wife with making many calls to get their son the best rehabilitation possible.
Gromley said he slept by his son in the hospital and protected him from thrashing about, concerned that the next bump on the head could mean permanent damage.
“Alex had to relearn how to do everything,” Gromley said, “to walk, talk, eat and breathe. I’m thankful my son is with me today … He’s trying to get his life back and trying to determine who he is.”
Defense attorney Richard Hura asked Washam to consider a lesser sentence than the 36 months Weikart was requesting. Hura said the best word to describe what happened two years ago was “tragedy.” Recently added to the case due to an issue with Miller’s previous attorney, Hura said everything he has seen in this case points to innocent youths who didn’t understand the consequences of their actions that night.
Three young men were partying, with their intentions to spend time with friends and have a good time, Hura said, adding none of them seem to know why they left the party and went driving.
“Then tragedy strikes and by the grace of God nobody is dead,” Hura said.
Hura and those who came to court to talk on Miller’s behalf spoke about how much he has changed since the accident. His wife, Ashley Miller, is reportedly pregnant with twin girls.
“He will miss a whole lot of firsts,” Hura said, acknowledging Miller was facing at least the minimum one year in prison. “Those firsts will be reduced to photographs. Prison is not a place that’s going to make him better. It’s going to lock him up … protect the public for another year.”
Miller’s mother, Christine Miller, told Washam about her son’s past leadership roles with 4-H, FFA and junior fair board. She also talked how hard it was on him when his father died in 2009 and how since the accident he has now gotten married, takes care of his wife and her 3-year-old son. He has stopped partying and is becoming “a better person” she said.
Ashley Miller also said she has seen her husband change in the five years she has known him. Speaking through tears, she said he is a “great stepfather” to her son, providing her with whatever they need.
“Who could blame a boy with no responsibilities,” his wife said. “He didn’t predict anything bad would happen.”
Ian Urich, one of Miller’s friends for the past 10 years, and Miller’s boss, Valerie Johnson, both cited examples of how they have seen him become more responsible and mature since the accident.
Miller, who did not go to the hospital to see Gromley until he was in rehabilitation, apologized to Gromley and his family in the court room. He said he did not go to the hospital where everyone was angry with him, because he “did not want to cause any more drama.”
“I’m disgusted for who I was,” Miller said. “I’m truly sorry. I had to learn the hard way.”
Washam agreed what happened was a tragedy and said he did believe Miller sincerely did not intend for this to have happened. Washam also pointed out that Miller’s presentencing investigation showed he used to consume up to a case of beer on the weekends.