Northampton man sentenced for deadly 2021 hit-and-run

GREENFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - A Northampton man will spend time behind bars after pleading guilty to a deadly hit-and-run in 2021.

Peter Toomey, 53, entered that plea on Tuesday to charges of leaving the scene of personal injury causing death, misleading a police officer, and negligent motor vehicle homicide.

Prosecutors said that Rhonda Thompson was taking a walk with a friend in the breakdown lane of Route 2 in Shelburne when Toomey struck her with his vehicle and never slowed down. Thompson’s friend got the attention of a passerby for help and Thompson was pronounced dead 15 minutes later.

Investigators reportedly found that Toomey had an unobstructed view of Thompson for several hundred feet before the collision, there was no solar glare, road defects, or mechanical issues, and Thompson had no opportunity to avoid being hit.

Toomey was sentenced to five years in prison, as well as a loss of license for 15 years. After serving his sentence, he will also be on probation for five years.

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