Brick Woman Gets 7 Years in Fatal DWI Crash

A Brick woman has been sentenced to seven years in prison for vehicular homicide in a December 2012 drunk driving crash that killed another Brick woman.

Deborah L. Tadych, 61, was taken to state prison Tuesday immediately after she was sentenced in Toms River by Superior Court Judge Francis R. Hodgson to the term of seven years with no early release, said Al Della Fave, spokesman for the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office. Tadych’s sentence included mandatory fines and penalties for driving while intoxicated, including a 10-year suspension of her driver’s license that begins when she completes her jail term, and three years of parole supervision.

Tadych was behind the wheel of a 2008 Hyundai Sonata about 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 18, 2012, headed southbound in the northbound lane of Herbertsville Road when her car hit a 1997 Grand Marquis driven by Susan Steeper, 65, of Brick, head-on near the intersection with Sawmill Road, Della Fave said. Witnesses told police that Tadych was driving without headlights and two cars pulled to the side of the road to avoid being hit before Tadych hit Steeper’s car, Della Fave said. Steeper had to be extricated and was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune, where she died as a result of her injuries, he said.

Blood alcohol testing showed Tadych’s blood alcohol level was .25, more than double the legal limit of .08, Della Fave said, and police later found she had hit a parked vehicle when pulling out of her driveway minutes before the fatal accident. She also had a half-full bottle of vodka in her purse, prosecutors said.

At sentencing, Tadych apologized to members of Steeper’s family, who were present in the courtroom, and acknowledged her alcoholism and how it had negatively affected her relationship with her own children. William P. Cunningham, her attorney, sought a sentence of 7 years, saying she had shown sincere remorse, citing a letter Tadych had written to the court in addition to her apology to those present.

Executive Assistant Prosecutor Deborah Hanlon-Schron argued for a longer sentence, saying that while Tadych admits to being an alcoholic, she had never sought treatment, and is only recovering now because she has been in jail since the accident and without access to alcohol. Hanlon-Schron argued Tadych is at significant risk of committing another drunken driving offense on the basis of what Hanlon-Schron called the depths of her denial.

Tadych has remained in the Ocean County Jail, Toms River, since Jan. 3, 2013, unable to post the $50,000 bail set at that time.
Hodgson acknowledged there is a risk that Tadych could commit another offense, but imposed the 7-year sentence because he felt she was sincerely remorseful.