Woman sentenced for fatal 2021 Niskayuna DWI
NISKAYUNA, N.Y. (NEWS10) - An Orange County woman who was behind the wheel of a fatal DWI crash last July was sentenced in Schenectady County Court Monday. Gina Hassan will spend at least seven years behind bars after pleading guilty to two charges in connection with the death of 77-year-old Dennis Farrell. It was an [...]
NISKAYUNA, N.Y. (NEWS10) - An Orange County woman who was behind the wheel of a fatal DWI crash last July was sentenced in Schenectady County Court Monday. Gina Hassan will spend at least seven years behind bars after pleading guilty to two charges in connection with the death of 77-year-old Dennis Farrell.
It was an emotional scene in the courtroom, as family and loved ones of Dennis Farrell held up pictures of him numerous times throughout the proceedings.
His wife and daughter gave emotional victim impact statements, highlighting the man he was, a loving wife, father and grandfather, as well as the hole the family feels since his sudden death last July.
"We had plans to celebrate my 10 year cancer-free anniversary on August 11, 2021. But I was alone, Dennis was gone," his wife, Kathleen said during her statement.
Dennis died 11 days after the car he was driving was struck by Hassan on July 1, 2021. He and his wife were on Troy-Schenectady Road waiting to turn left onto Lisha Kill Road when they were struck by Hassan.
During her impact statement, Kathleen spoke in detail about the terrifying moments before, during and after the crash.
"There was just no place to go, we were trapped. I could hear her engine racing before she slammed into us. She never even tried to brake. It was head-on, it was a brutal, body-wrenching explosion," she explained.
Moments before the fatal crash, Hassan, who was under the influence of alcohol and Xanax, struck another vehicle on Balltown Road and fled the scene. Her erratic driving through Niskayuna led to several 9-1-1 calls prior to incident on Route 7.
After impact statements, Hassan emotionally addressed the courtroom, having difficulty speaking through tears as she apologized for the impact of her actions, "I have been consumed with guilt and regret. The world around me stopped when I was told of the irreversible heartbreak my actions caused."
After taking a plea deal earlier this year, Hassan was sentenced to 6-18 years behind bars for aggravated vehicular homicide, as well as seven years for assault, with those sentences running concurrent.