Woman blames deer for killing man with her Ram truck after crossing center line at over 90 mph, slamming into victim's Kia

A pistillate successful Kentucky volition walk the coming years down bars aft she crossed the halfway enactment of a agrarian roadworthy successful her motortruck and smashed into different driver, sidesplitting him.

Dusty Ratliff, 48, has been found blameworthy of second-degree manslaughter, according to records reviewed by Law&Crime.

The clang caused the decease of 44-year-old James Kelly, the Kentucky State Police announced astir 4 years ago.

On July 16, 2022, astatine astir 9:25 p.m., Ratliff was driving a 2017 metallic Ram 2500 connected Elkhorn Creek successful Pike County, Kentucky. The distant roadworthy runs on the eastbound portion of Kentucky not acold from the state's borderline with Virginia.

At the aforesaid time, Kelly was driving a 2009 achromatic Kia Spectra the other direction. Suddenly, Ratliff "crossed the halfway line" successful her motortruck and rammed into Kelly's sedan, constabulary said.

Kentucky State Police troopers were called to the clang site. They reportedly recovered the Kia turned astir astir 40 feet from the spot of interaction and Ratliff's motortruck much than 70 feet from the crash.

The Pike County Coroner's Office pronounced Kelly dormant astatine the scene. Troopers made nary notation of Ratliff needing aesculapian attention.

During Ratliff's trial, prosecutors argued that her velocity caused the crash, determination CBS affiliate WYMT reported. An adept witnesser testified that she was going up to 92 mph connected the winding roadworthy earlier the crash.

Ratliff, for her part, reportedly contended that she was moving astatine a edifice owned by her household earlier she decided to caput home. She said she was not successful a unreserved but that it was acheronian and she saw respective cervid successful the road.

"I went to spell astir them, and I don't retrieve thing aft that," she stated, though she added that she saw lights coming toward her earlier the crash. "I was successful a batch of pain."

The suspect was initially charged with murder, according to the section outlet. Her attorneys argued the clang was an "accident" and a "tragedy" — but not a killing.

"She was braking and braking hard. She slowed down and did the champion that she could do," defence lawyer Garland Arnett said. "It's a tragedy. But we don't judge it's a crime. This is an accident. It is not murder."

Prosecutors argued that — astatine the velocity she was driving — Ratliff indispensable person known determination was information afoot. They person recommended a 10-year condemnation for Ratliff; her sentencing day has yet to beryllium announced.