PAWNEE CITY, Neb. (AP) — A 57-year-old woman has pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges related to a fatal collision with a horse-drawn buggy in southeast Nebraska.
Online court records say Vivian Cockrell, of Pawnee City, made her pleas Monday in Pawnee County District Court. She was convicted of motor vehicle homicide and misdemeanor misuse of a learner’s permit.
Prosecutors say Cockrell was driving a Cadillac on July 21, 2013, that struck the buggy carrying 21-year-old Fannie Yoder and her 17-year-old brother Reuben. They were on their way to church at the time of the accident. Reuben Yoder died and Fannie Yoder was critically hurt.
Cockrell was driving on a learner’s permit when the crash occurred on Nebraska Highway 8/50 east of Pawnee City. She did not have a driver 21 or older with her.