Ex-UNC coach allowed to still drive after fatal crash

DURHAM, NC (AP) — Former University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill women’s basketball coach Sylvia Hatchell has appealed her plea in a fatal traffic accident and received a more lenient sentence that will allow her to still drive.

Police say Hatchell hit 89-year-old pedestrian Betty Colby with her car in January 2020.

Hatchell pleaded guilty in September to misdemeanor death by vehicle and unsafe movement. She was originally sentenced to 30 days, which was suspended for six months of unsupervised probation.

WRAL-TV reports that Hatchell’s attorney told a judge on Monday that his client couldn’t afford to lose her driver’s license for a year if the conviction were allowed to stand.