COLORADO SPRINGS — We're following up on a story we first brought you back in 2018 involving a hit and run suspect and an innocent woman who was left paralyzed.
After an emotional afternoon of testimony, the judge handed down an 18-year prison sentence to Preston Bailey who was convicted of aggravated robbery as part of a carjacking he was a part of in order to leave the scene of the crash that left Brittany Barker paralyzed.
Brittany Barker could've been any of us, innocently driving home when she became the victim of a horrific crash at the intersection of Circle and Bijou in Colorado Springs leaving her paralyzed and bound to a wheelchair.
"Honestly it could've been anybody else, but I'm glad it was me because in the end it made me stronger. It could've been an old lady and she'd of never made it," Brittany said.
Now, almost two years to the day of the crash, Bailey was sentenced to 18 years in prison.
"It feels amazing to know he's never going to be able to hurt someone else again at least for 18 years," Brittany said.
Investigators say Bailey caused the crash, running a red light after a drug deal gone bad. Bailey was convicted of aggravated robbery for carjacking someone at the scene of the crash to get away.
"The only justice could really be removing his spine and giving it to her, but since that's not possible we're just going to get as many years as we can, but I'm happy with the outcome," said Robert Barker, Brittany's father.
With the sentencing over, now Brittany and her family shift their focus to what comes next.
"She has to live her life beyond this and so we're talking about going to college and her getting some kind of a job and she'll have to go forth and I think she'll do pretty good, but we had to get past this. This was a closure thing to take care of this," Robert said.
