A 54-year-old West Valley City man who struck and killed a 23-year-old pregnant woman in Salt Lake City last year and severely injured her young daughter was sentenced to prison Monday.
Jack Archibald was sentenced in 3rd District Court for two second-degree felony counts of automobile homicide for the death of the young mother and her unborn child, as well as one third-degree felony count of DUI with serious bodily injury for injuring the 2-year-old girl.
Archibald received two sentences of up to 15 years for the two second-degree felony counts, which will run concurrently. For the third-degree felony count, he was sentenced to five years in prison, a term that will run consecutively to the 15-year sentences. In all, he faces up to 20 years in prison.
Archibald was driving down 1700 South on May 3, 2022, when he suddenly veered across two lanes of traffic near 900 East, then drove up onto a sidewalk, where he struck Libbie Allan and her daughter, police said.
Allan was 17 weeks pregnant at the time and taken to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Her 2-year-old daughter was critically wounded in the wreck but survived her injuries.
About three hours after the crash, Archibald had a blood alcohol level of 0.136%, investigators determined. In Utah, it is illegal to drive with a blood alcohol level of 0.05% or higher.
Archibald admitted to officers that he had experienced a “blackout” while driving, and came to after the crash when the car came to a stop.
“Mr. Archibald put our entire community at risk when he decided to drive after drinking enough alcohol to put him at more than double the legal limit, while also on drugs,” said Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill in a statement. “We continue to mourn the loss of the young pregnant mother and her unborn child.”
“If you drink, drive and injure people, you will be aggressively prosecuted,” Gill continued.
Archibald is due to appear in court for a restitution hearing on June 8.
