A Washington State man has been sentenced to a year-and-a-half in prison for a crash that killed a Surrey woman in 2014.
Derek Gary Tiemersma, then 22, was driving his truck north of Lynden, WA, on Sept. 27, 2014 when he ran a stop sign and struck a motorcycle carrying Michael Caldwell and Beverly Raginski, both from Surrey. The couple was thrown from the bike.
Raginski, 62, died in hospital, while Caldwell, who had been driving the motorcycle, suffered severe injuries and broken bones.
Tiemersma was charged with vehicular homicide and vehicular assault, but pleaded guilty last month to the lesser charges of manslaughter in the second degree, reckless driving and hit-and-run of attended property.
He was sentenced March 3 in Whatcom County Superior Court. His prison sentence will be followed by 18 months probation.