Woman sentenced for fatal crosswalk accident involving BYU-Idaho student
Published at | Updated at
REXBURG — A woman who hit a Brigham Young University-Idaho student with her car causing his death will spend time in jail.
Ruth Del Carmen Bedolla, 63, was sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 100 days suspended, after pleading guilty to one count of misdemeanor reckless driving. Magistrate Judge David Hunt also ordered Bedolla to pay $1157.50 in fines and serve 50 hours of community service within a year. She will be on unsupervised probation for two years.
Briggs Kline, 22, was in the crosswalk on South Center Street and 7th South on Nov. 29 around 5:30 p.m. when Bedolla hit him with her 2015 Kia Sorento. A Rexburg police detective wrote in court documents that pedestrian crossing lights were flashing as Kline walked across the street.
RELATED | BYU-Idaho student dies after being hit by a vehicle
“(Bodella) indicated she looked for pedestrians and did not see any so she continued driving when her vehicle hit Mr. Kline,” the detective wrote. “Three other vehicles stopped to allow him to cross the street. All three drivers provided statements to law enforcement that they saw Mr. Kline walking in the crosswalk with the flashing crosswalk placards when he was hit by Mrs. Bedolla’s vehicle.”
Kline, a Florida native, died at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center on Dec. 2. He was in his first semester at BYU-Idaho and had recently completed a proselytizing mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Layton, Utah.
Court records indicate Bedolla checked into the Madison County Jail on April 18 to begin serving her time.