A Clarksville man was sent to prison for more than three years for severally injuring a woman in a April 2009 DUI wreck.

Joseph Chimahosky, Jr., 27, pleaded guilty to vehicular assault and was sentenced to 3 years and six months at the Tennessee Department of Corrections by Judge Mike R. Jones this afternoon.

Chimahosky was charged with causing a wreck on April 11, 2009 by driving his car from an intersection into the wrong lane of travel into oncoming traffic while under the influence of alcohol.

Chimahosky struck the vehicle of Evelyn Turner and severally injured her and himself.

Chimahosky’s license was revoked at the time of the wreck and he had two previous DUI convictions. Chris Dotson, assistant district attorney brought out during sentencing that Chimahosky was on probation for a DUI conviction at the time of the wreck. His probation was to expire 11 days after the wreck.

Evelyn Turner took the stand today to express the pain she’s suffered from the wreck.

After the wreck she said she was unconscious for three weeks and woke up in Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Seven surgeries later and four months in a wheelchair, her medical bills peaked at about $1 million, she said. She had rods and pins put in her legs and arms and had to learn to walk again. She said she’d never even broke a bone before the day of that wreck.

“I’ve had to rebuild my body,” Turner said from the stand. “It’s up to me to build back what he took away.”

Turner said she settled a civil lawsuit with Chimahosky to cover losses.

Chimahosky took the stand and spoke about the horrible decision he made that day.

“If I could take it back I would,” Chimahosky said. “I let my emotions get the best of me and I had one too many drinks that night and I will pay for it the rest of my life, monetarily and emotionally. I had a problem with drugs and alcohol and it won’t change I get my ducks in a line…I was the cause of the accident. There’s not enough words to express my regret.”

Chimahosky said he was severally injured in the wreck and had seven surgeries on a broken shoulder, face bones, leg, ankle and said he suffered a bad concussion.

“It all could’ve been prevented if I used my head and thought before I made that decision.”

Dotson, cross examined him asking about his criminal history, which included DUI convictions, theft, weapon charged, and said Chimahosky endangered not only

Turner but all on the road that night. He asked for the maximum sentence for a Class D felony, four years.

Myers said the judge should consider Chimahosky had accepted responsibility and desired to rehabilitate and better his life for himself and his 4-year-old son.

Jones said with all the DUI cases that come through the court, what happened to Turner could happen again if there wasn’t something to deter people from drinking under the influence.

He ordered Chimahosky into custody to serve his 3 year, six month sentence in prison.

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