LOCKPORT — With jury selection about to begin, a Niagara Falls man accepted a plea offer from prosecutors late Monday morning in a fatal accident case out of the Town of Hartland.
Eric S. Gardner, 48, of the Falls, pleaded guilty to a single count of first-degree vehicular manslaughter. He had faced charges of aggravated vehicular homicide, first- and second-degree vehicular manslaughter, driving while intoxicated, driving while ability impaired by the combined influence of alcohol and drugs, and related offenses in connection with the death of a Lockport woman after a rollover crash in 2022.
As part of the plea deal, Niagara County Court Judge John Ottaviano agreed to cap Gardner’s sentence at 7 ½ to 15 years behind bars.
Gardner had previously rejected the same plea offer in February.
He was driving in the 7900 block of Ridge Road about 1:20 a.m. Aug. 26, 2022, when his vehicle struck a tree and overturned several times. Gardner’s passenger, Stacy L. Donnelly, 46, of Gasport, who had been riding in the front seat at the time of the accident, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Niagara County Sheriff’s Office deputies and volunteer firefighters were able to extricate Gardner from the vehicle and he was transported to the Erie County Medical Center by Mercy Flight. He was treated for his injuries and later released from the hospital.
As part of the plea hearing, Gardner admitted to driving with a blood alcohol content (BAC) of over 0.18%.
“The defendant showed complete disregard for the safety of his passenger and anyone else who might have been on the road that night,” Niagara County District Attorney Brian Seaman said after the plea hearing. “His blood alcohol level was three times the legal limit and he also had cocaine in his system.”
Seaman said Donnelly leaves behind both children and grandchildren.
“The sad and completely avoidable result is that Stacy’s family, her children and grandchildren, will live the rest of their lives without her,” the DA said.
Gardner is scheduled to be sentenced on May 20. He remains jailed in lieu of bail set at $400,000 cash or $800,000 bond.