The 46-year-old Washington preschool teacher died in the Route 31 crash.
Jordan Biasco admitted her role in the crash that took the life of a Warren County preschool teacher last spring.
Jordan Biasco (Lehighvalleylive.com file photo) The 18-year-old from Belvidere feels horrible and has sought counseling, said her attorney, Scott Wilhelm. She was not texting at the time of the wreck, nor was she on her phone or any substance -- the crash was, the attorney said, an accident.
"I don't think anyone should go to jail for a mere accident," Wilhelm said.
Elizabete Lino, known to staff and students at Half-Pint Early Learning and Childcare Center in Washington as Miss Liz, left work April 26 and headed home to Oxford Township. Minutes later, she was killed in a head-on crash on Route 31.
Mansfield Township police said it appeared Lino drifted into oncoming traffic. Another driver, a 57-year-old man, was injured and flown to a hospital for treatment. Lino, 46, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Teacher killed in crash touched lives
A civil lawsuit filed in October blames Biasco for the crash. Biasco -- then a Belvidere High School senior -- cut Lino off, causing the teacher to swerve into the oncoming lane, said the Linos' attorney, John E. Molinari, citing police reports. Biasco soon pulled over and called to report the accident, he said.
Biasco pleaded guilty Nov. 15 in Mansfield municipal court to leaving the scene of an accident and failure to stay in the lane, Wilhelm said.
On Dec. 6, she was sentenced to 180 days in jail, six months probation, a one-year loss of license and a $2,500 fine, Wilhelm confirmed. She is appealing the probation and jail terms in state Superior Court, and has been granted a stay on those parts of the sentence.
"This has been a very tough thing for her, too," Wilhelm said. "This was an accident."
The status of the civil case was not immediately clear as the sentence is appealed.
Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.