Driver admits to hitting Beverly pedestrian

Apr. 12—BEVERLY — A Framingham woman pleaded guilty Monday to charges stemming from a 2019 crash that left a Beverly man with life-altering injuries.

Amy Marie Crossland, 23, received a six-month suspended jail term and will spend the next nine months on probation, a Salem District Court judge ordered.

Crossland, who was a student at Salem State University at the time, was at the wheel of a Honda, driving north on Rantoul Street in the rain, on the evening of April 22, 2019.

Her attorney said Crossland was picking up a friend at Beverly Hospital.

At the same time, Steven Greenberger, an architectural designer, was on the final leg of his commute home, crossing Rantoul Street after getting off the MBTA train at the Beverly Depot, across from the post office.

Greenberger doesn't recall what happened next, but witnesses told Beverly police that he was crossing Rantoul Street in a crosswalk. The other vehicles on the road had stopped for him.

Crossland did not.

The impact caved in Crossland's windshield and carried Greenberger nearly 90 feet before he landed face down on the pavement.

She kept driving, witnesses told police. She traveled for about a mile, the windshield leaning on her steering wheel, then stopped at the Gloucester Crossing intersection of Rantoul and Cabot streets and called 911, prosecutor Erin McAndrews said.

On Monday, her lawyer, William O'Hare, said Crossland, who was also injured in the crash, was simply stunned.

"This explosive thing happens, and she's in a state of, she didn't know what happened," O'Hare told Judge Robert Brennan. "As soon as she came out of it, she pulled over and called the police ... it stunned my client. She has no explanation."

It was dark and rainy, O'Hare said, and she didn't know the area well.

Greenberger was 31 at the time, a newlywed.

He doesn't recall being struck, only waking up in the emergency room.

"I consider myself very, very lucky and thankful to be alive," Greenberger said in a victim-impact statement on Monday.

But he still struggles with what happened. "I have a hard time understanding how I was left in the street."

Bystanders called 911.

The impact of his injuries caused a tremendous strain on his family, who put their lives on hold, some traveling from other states to help him and his wife, New Hampshire radio personality Kira Lew, during his long recovery.

He spent weeks at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and has undergone multiple surgeries to repair his knee and leg. The injuries put in him a wheelchair for six months — and he could only get to and from his apartment by bumping himself up the stairs. He lost nearly a year of work at a critical time in his career.

And some of his injuries, including nerve damage, could be permanent. The injuries to nerves in his back and shoulder make it hard to work out at the gym or play golf, two of his favorite things to do.

"I am not looking for retribution," said Greenberger. "I am just hoping justice will be served."

McAndrews, the prosecutor, urged Brennan to place Crossland on 18 months of probation with a suspended jail term, and to impose a lengthy license suspension.

She said her recommendation took into account Crossland's willingness to accept responsibility for the crash but also the fact that she drove away from the scene.

O'Hare urged the judge to impose a shorter period of time on probation.

He also urged Brennan not to impose any additional suspension on her license, which has been suspended by the Registry of Motor Vehicles since the crash.

Crossland has, since the crash, graduated from Salem State and now works in human resources, a field for which having a license is helpful.

"It was a horrific accident that had an awful, horrendous impact on (Greenberger's) life and the life of his family," Brennan said. "I can tell from watching Ms. Crossland that she's remorseful and I'm sure she regrets it." But the judge said he too struggled to understand why she didn't immediately stop.

Brennan also said the three months of probation suggested by Crossland's attorney "trivializes the incident and the impact it had."

Brennan imposed a six-month suspended jail term and nine months of probation. He also ordered that Crossland's license will be suspended for another year. She will also have to complete a brain injury awareness class and a driver safety course.

Courts reporter Julie Manganis can be reached at 978-338-2521, by email at jmanganis@salemnews.com or on Twitter at @SNJulieManganis.