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42 °F Forecast | Road Cams Monday, January 24, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Opportunities Moving to Southern Oregon? MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend September 22, 2004 Woman gets six years for fatal crash By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune A Rogue River family poured out their sorrow in court Tuesday as a Gold Hill woman was sent to prison for causing a deadly car crash while intoxicated. Rena Lorraine Lyons, 36, was sentenced to six years and three months in prison for the May 30 crash that killed 69-year-old Jacqueline Burch of Lakewood, Wash. Lyons pleaded guilty in Jackson County Circuit Court to charges of second-degree manslaughter and driving under the influence of intoxicants. Lyons’ blood-alcohol level was more than three times Oregon’s legal limit when her Toyota 4-Runner smashed into a Jeep in which Burch was passenger, said Tim Barnack, deputy district attorney for Jackson County. Burch’s side of the car bore most of the impact, and she was dead before paramedics arrived. "You ruined my life and the lives of my children and my grandchildren," said Burch’s husband, 70-year-old Bruce Burch, as Lyons wiped at her eyes with a tissue. Bruce Burch was not in the Jeep, which his wife, daughter and brother-in-law took to the Natural Bridge near Prospect that day. The family was headed home to Rogue River when Lyons made a left turn into the path of the Jeep at about 5:30 p.m. on Highway 234 east of Gold Hill. Advertisement Burch’s son-in-law Brian Balfour, 34, spent about two weeks in the hospital and underwent surgery for spinal injuries. He said he still removes tiny fragments of glass from his scalp, which required 16 staples. Balfour was trapped in the vehicle’s driver’s seat for about 45 minutes, and in court Thursday he recalled the trauma he went through as he was unable to assist his wife, Tori, while she tried to resuscitate her mother. "I was pinned in the Jeep ... and I was not able to help my wife, and that still haunts me every night I sleep," he told Circuit Court Judge Lorenzo Mejia. Tori Balfour and her mother-in-law, 52-year-old Linda King, of Scottsdale Ariz., had minor injuries. Sobbing, Lyons apologized, reading from a hand-written letter that she had prepared. Lyons offered no explanation for her drunken condition that day, and Barnack said she would not speak to investigators about the crime. Mejia ordered Lyons to spend the minimum time allowed in prison under Oregon’s mandatory sentencing law. She also must repay Burch’s family for funeral and medical expenses, and her driver’s license will be suspended for eight years after her release from prison. Lyons had no previous criminal record. Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers