Fatal Hit-and-Run in Seekonk: Driver Sentenced

FALL RIVER, MA — The driver in a fatal hit-and-run crash in Seekonk in 2015 was sentenced to jail this week.

Jacob LaCourse, 24, of Attleboro, received three years during sentencing in Fall River Superior Court, WPRI reported.

The crash killed Karen McHugh, Seekonk’s former assistant town clerk.

He pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of a crash—death resulting and negligent driving.

Police said they got a break in the case when LaCourse’s father approached them and said he son may have been involved.

“The man had a conscience,” said Seekonk Police Chief Craig Mace, said at the time.

LaCourse was allegedly delivering pizzas at the time of the crash. After he hit McHugh, he turned around and drove back past the scene, police said.

LaCourse had been wearing a GPS bracelet at the time for an unrelated charge and police said GPS data showed he was in the area at the time of the crash.

McHugh was 51 years old at the time of her death. She left behind a wife, Sandy. She was an animal lover and volunteered at a local animal shelter, according to her obituary.

Karen McHugh

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Top photo of Jacob LaCourse. (Credit: Steve Cooper/WHDH)