IONIA, Mich. (WOOD) — An Ionia woman has been convicted after a crash that killed two cyclists and injured three others who were participating in a Make-A-Wish bicycle ride.
On Friday, a jury found Mandy Marie Benn, 43, guilty on all counts.
She had been charged with 15 total counts, including two counts of second-degree murder, three counts of possessing prescription drugs, two counts of operating while intoxicated causing serious death and two counts of reckless driving causing death.
The crash happened July 30, 2022 in Ronald Township. The Ionia County Sheriff’s Office said Benn was driving north behind a UPS truck. When the truck slowed, deputies said Benn used the southbound lane to pass, driving into the path of bicyclists who were participating in a bicycle tour with Make-A-Wish, called Wish-A-Mile.
Deputies said Benn apparently did not see the bicyclists before she hit them. They said the crash happened on a straight road with nothing obstructing her line of vision.
Two cyclists were killed in the crash: 48-year-old Ann Arbor resident Edward Erickson and 57-year-old Bloomfield Hills resident Michael Salhaney. Three more were hurt.
A sentencing date has not yet been set.
