Rodney James was drunk and high when he punched the accelerator and lost control of his Chevrolet Corvette. His car spun off the road, crushing Wah Wong and his son, Jason, as the two men stood in their driveway, unloading luggage from the trunk of their car.Last month, James pled guilty to two counts of vehicular assault and agreed he deserved an exceptional sentence. At the sentencing, he apologized to the Wong family, saying he was devastated by the pain he'd caused. At the time of the crash, James had a blood-alcohol content of 0/19 -- more than twice the legal limit -- and was apparently high on street drugs.
The Dec. 12 crash cost Jason Wong, 22, his left leg, which doctors amputated below the knee. He tried to push his 67-year-old father out of the way, likely saving his life, but the older man still suffered a broken left leg, face and neck fractures and cuts to his spleen and scalp.
On Friday, father and son sat side-by-side in wheelchairs as relatives, friends, and longtime customers of the family's West Seattle restaurant packed King County Superior Court Judge Julie Spector's courtroom to see James, 50, sentenced to prison.
Though James faced a standard sentence of 13 to 17 months, the judge gave him an exceptional sentence of 2 /12 years in prison, followed by 18 months of community supervision. She said she had received 113 letters from members of the community regarding the case -- more than she's ever received in all other cases combined.
James was also banned from entering a drinking establishment, using drugs or alcohol, or driving a car while he's on supervision. And he's been ordered to return to court on December 12, 2012 -- the third annivesary of the crash -- to make sure he is abiding by these orders.
Meanwhile, Jason Wong has undergone countless surgeries, but it appears the bones in his shattered right foot aren't healing properly. It's likely his physical activity will be limited, even with a prosthetic. More here (with video): Victims watch as drunken driver sentenced to 30 months.