ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) —
A Swannanoa woman pleaded guilty Monday in a collision that killed the driver of a motorcycle in 2022.
Estafania Salgado Mata, 21, pleaded guilty as charged to felony hit-and-run resulting in death and was sentenced to serve a 16- to 29-month suspended prison term and placed on 36 months of supervised probation. Mata was also ordered to refrain from driving while on probation, perform 100 hours of community service and serve a 30-day split sentence in jail, the Buncombe County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
Investigators said Mata was involved in the collision that killed Terence Duane Weaver on July 7, 2022, on U.S. 70 near New Salem Road in Swannanoa. Weaver was driving his motorcycle westbound on U.S. 70 with a female passenger about 10:30 p.m. when he lost control and crashed into a grassy embankment on the side of the road.
Weaver was thrown back into the road. The female passenger was knocked unconscious but later reported a full recovery.
Shortly after Weaver landed in the roadway, he was hit by a red Ford Edge that did not stop, the news release said. Weaver was determined to be dead at the scene.
An autopsy determined the cause of death to be multiple blunt force injuries but could not determine whether the motorcycle crash or the subsequent car crash caused the injuries, according to the news release.
Authorities later identified the vehicle involved and determined Mata was the driver. Investigators also determined Weaver was not wearing a helmet and a toxicology report revealed alcohol in his system, the news release said.
The District Attorney’s Office said Weaver’s family had been advised of the plea agreement and were in court for sentencing.
CORRECTION: This story has been updated to correct the model of the car involved in the hit-and-run. A news release from the Buncombe County District Attorney’s Office had incorrect information. An updated version of the news release said the car was a red Ford Edge.