Paul H. Floyd Jr., 43, was sentenced to three 12-year terms in prison and four years probation in Whitfield County Superior Court. The sentences will run concurrently.
He told Judge Robert Adams he was driving under the influence the night of the crash and apologized for his actions.
At the time of his arrest, authorities said Floyd’s alcohol consumption was “the primary contributing factor in this collision.”
Floyd was driving north on Interstate 75, about five miles south of Dalton when his van veered off the road into the emergency lane, striking another van, according to Whitfield Sheriff’s Department.
Tina Smith, 32, Courtney Banks, 14, and Darnecia Evans, 11, were killed. The three victims, all of Cohutta, died of head and massive internal injuries, police said.
The victims, who were returning from a trip, were waiting in a van parked behind their van, until a wrecker arrived to repair their van’s flat tire, police said.
Floyd’s utility van swerved into the rear of the van in which the victims waited, slamming it into their stranded van, police said. The collision occurred about 1 a.m.
The collision’s impact propelled Floyd’s van into the northbound traffic, where it was struck by an oncoming car, police said. Floyd’s hip was injured in the collision.
Floyd faced three counts of vehicular homicide, DUI, and driving on a suspended license.
Floyd’s license was suspended in 1995 when he was convicted of DUI. He was also convicted of driving with a suspended license in 1996, police said
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