The driver who killed a University of Massachusetts Amherst student in July 2014 pleaded guilty Monday to a charge of negligent motor vehicle homicide, authorities said.
Hannah Frilot, 20, of Arizona, was walking with a friend in a bicycle lane on North East Street in Amherst when she was struck from behind by Cynthia May’s vehicle. Frilot was pronounced dead at the scene, the Northwestern district attorney’s office said in a statement.
An obituary published in the university’s Daily Collegian said Frilot was about to start her senior year.
Hampshire Superior Court Judge Richard Carey sentenced May, 65, of Orleans, to probation with special conditions until December 2020.
The special conditions include a loss of license for 3 1/2 years, 300 hours of safety-oriented community service, and a $7,500 donation to the UMass Amherst Police Department and Amherst Police Department safety initiatives, the district attorney’s office said.
Beginning in January 2018, May can drive only between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
“Through this plea agreement, the parties have tried to achieve as much societal good as can be taken from this otherwise senseless tragedy,’’ said First Assistant District Attorney Steven E. Gagne, who prosecuted the case.
Daniel Fitzgibbons, a spokesman for UMass Amherst, said the university is pleased with the deal.
“We’re glad to see some closure in what was a very unfortunate incident,’’ Fitzgibbons said. “We hope that this will bring her family some peace in the wake of what was a very tragic accident.’’
Frilot’s close friend and UMass classmate Zac Bears shared the sentiment, saying the reparations brought him some solace.
“No action will ever bring Hannah back or fill the hole in my heart that I have to cope with every single day,’’ Bears, 22, of Medford, said. “But I am glad that I have finally seen some small ounce of justice.’’
Samantha Gross can be reached at samantha.gross@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @samanthajgross.
