A former Hamilton County paramedic and volunteer Sheriff’s Office reserve deputy was sentenced Monday to nine years in prison for a 2018 wrong-way crash that killed a man.
Justin Whaley, 42, hit and killed James Brumlow in July 2018 on Highway 111. He was found guilty in October of seven of the eight charges against him, including reckless vehicular homicide and driving under the influence.
Whaley was tasting different bourbons at his friend’s house the night before the crash. He slept for a few hours before driving home early the following morning. He missed his exit, turned around on the highway and hit Brumlow, 36, who was on his way to work.
Ryan Brumlow’s last memory of his father, James Brumlow, is of him saying goodnight while doing a King Julien impression from “Madagascar,” he said during his victim impact testimony.
“The very next time I saw my father I couldn’t even recognize his face,” Ryan Brumlow said. “I have a hard time finding happiness.”