A South Carolina woman will spend 25 years in prison for a wrong-way crash that killed three Indiana teenagers in 2021.
Melissa Ann Parker, 46, pleaded guilty to charges including driving under the influence resulting in death, assault and battery, grand larceny, and hit-and-run.
The crash occurred on August 16, 2021, near Spartanburg, South Carolina. Parker was driving a stolen Hummer SUV the wrong way on Interstate 26 when she collided head-on with a Kia sedan carrying four teenagers from Fishers, Indiana.
Elleana Lee Gaddis and Isabella Lee Gaddis, identical twins aged 17, along with their 18-year-old friend Brianna Lynn Foster, lost their lives at the accident site. Another teenager, 17-year-old Maci Watts, managed to survive the collision with only slight injuries.
According to prosecutors, Parker had consumed THC gummies and Adderall before getting behind the wheel. The incident began when she stole an unattended Hummer from a gas station parking lot. After briefly driving around the parking lot, Parker attempted to hit a police officer at a nearby Waffle House before speeding away.
Barry Barnette, 7th Circuit Court Solicitor, said the incident should never have happened, that taking drugs and driving is the same as drinking and driving. He added that Parker’s decision to mix THC gummies with Adderall and then drive a stolen car led to the nightmare deaths of three young women.
Parker’s attorney, Andrew Johnston, provided context for his client’s actions. He said that on the evening of this unfortunate event, Melissa experienced a psychotic break and attempted to manage her condition with THC gummies. She disconnected from reality and thought she needed to escape for her life in a car she had stolen. In her psychotic state, she entered the Interstate traveling in the opposite direction.
After the collision, Parker fled the scene on foot but was quickly apprehended by law enforcement.
The sole survivor, Maci Watts, recounted the aftermath of the crash to Indianapolis Fox affiliate WXIN. She said she exited the car, stood up and started screaming for help. She found out later that Parker had crawled out of her car and had run away.
The loss of the three teenagers deeply affected their families and community in Fishers, Indiana. Jodi Foster, Brianna Foster’s mother, told CBS affiliate WTTV in Indianapolis, “They did not deserve this. They had their whole lives ahead of them.”
Andy Gaddis, father of the twin girls, expressed his heartbreak to WXIN: “They were identical twins. They came in together, and I hope they were asleep, but I am glad they went out together.”
In addition to the 25-year prison sentence, Parker was ordered to pay a $25,100 fine for each count of felony DUI resulting in death. She received concurrent sentences of 10 years for assault and battery in the first degree, 10 years for grand larceny, and one year for hit-and-run with minor personal injury.
Parker’s arrest history dates back to 1998 and includes previous charges for driving under the influence, shoplifting, failure to stop for a blue light, fraudulent checks, burglary, and drug-related offenses.
The Fishers community rallied around the families of the victims, with local businesses donating proceeds and GoFundMe accounts set up to support them in the aftermath of the tragedy.