Driver in fatal crash says she was looking at cellphone

FLORENCE, Ky. – A motorist involved in a crash that killed one man and his twin toddler grandchildren says she was driving while looking at her cellphone.

Jessica Hood pleaded guilty Wednesday to multiple counts of manslaughter and assault, nearly three years to the day of the crash that hit six pedestrians in Florence, Kentucky on March 15, 2015.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports Hood told the court during her plea that she was driving distracted. She says she was looking at her cellphone while trying to plug in an auxiliary cord and change the music player from a CD to her cellphone. Accident reconstruction showed Hood had travelled almost 1,000 feet (305 metres) in 14 to 16 seconds before colliding with the pedestrians. Two other pedestrians were injured.

Hood will be sentenced April 16.

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Information from: The Cincinnati Enquirer, http://www.enquirer.com