Castle Hayne resident hopes to get justice after losing her leg
NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY)– “If you make a wrong move, you are going to end up on the ground, and I have been on the ground many times”. That is Tracy Turner, a retired police officer, who is talking about how it is wearing a prosthetic leg after being hit by a truck that made her lose her left leg.
Nearly three years later, she still remembers the incident that changed her life.
“I could feel somewhat of what was happening. I was in shock. All I could do was look up and see the sky. In that moment, I said please don’t let me die on this side of a road,” said Turner.
Turner says she was hit by Brandon Bennet while on her motorcycle. She says that Bennet was driving while impaired when he hit her with his truck and fled the scene.
Ever since then, she has had 24 surgeries, and multiple changes to her prosthetic leg. Turner says she must change the socket of her prosthetic leg every few months, which is something that she has to partially pay for every time.
Turner has been waiting for justice for three years and was ready for it as the hearing was set to be on January 26th but has since been postponed. Turner says she was ready to make a statement at the hearing to oppose the plea deal that was arranged by the Assistant District Attorney and the Defense Council, as she feels the proposed resolution does not reflect the seriousness of her situation or lifelong consequences of Bennet’s conduct.
“I have physical limitations and this does not heal. This isn’t going to grow back. It is a lifetime sentence for me. Credit for time served, twelve weeks of supervised probation, nominal restitution, and a promise that the remainder of the restitution will be paid over his probation time and having to submit to drug test or screenings and check ins with his probation officer monthly, I don’t think that is enough,” said Turner.
Turner says the plea prioritizes Bennet’s comfort and convenience over her pain, the traumatic loss of her leg, and ongoing financial impact. Turner believes it all could have been avoided, as she says Bennet has had a history with the law.
Hope is not all lost, as she plans to talk with the District Attorney Jason Smith on January 26th.
“To further victims right, that is my goal, to further victim right. I am hopeful when I meet Jason Smith,” said Turner.
Turner hopes her story makes an impact for every victim who feels unheard and every family forever changed by preventable acts of impaired driving.
