LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- An Indiana man was sentenced to 70 years in prison Friday for driving onto a downtown Louisville sidewalk two years ago, running over a Kansas family, killing a man and seriously injuring his wife and daughter.

A jury in October recommended a 75-year prison sentence for Michael Hurley on charges of murder, assault and DUI; however, Judge Annie O'Connell said under state law, the maximum sentence Hurley can serve is 70 years. 

During the sentencing, O'Connell called it a "tragic event" and praised jurors for their professionalism during the trial. 

"I believe their recommendation was just and fair in this case," she said. 

Trey Jones, 42, died and his wife, Amy, and daughter, Ava, suffered life-changing injuries. 

Prosecutors said Hurley drove his vehicle with blood levels showing he had five times above what is considered a lethal dose of fentanyl in his system.

Hurley didn't stop for 100 feet after he hit the Jones family with his car at 2nd and Market streets on July 5, 2022, killing Jones, who had brought his family to Louisville for their 17-year-old's basketball tournament.

Hurley runs over family in downtown Louisville

Pictured: this frame grab taken from video shows the moment before a family was run over by an intoxicated driver in downtown Louisville, Ky., in 2022. (WDRB/archive)

Ava Jones was a high school basketball star who had committed to play at the University of Iowa. She had scholarship offers in three sports. Earlier this year year, Iowa said Jones will take a medical disqualification and retire from basketball.

Now she can no longer shoot a basketball or even walk very far. Once a valedictorian, her memory is so bad that she does not recollect what was said in her classes at Iowa minutes after they have ended.

Hurley, from Lexington, Ind., was on probation for drug-related offenses at the time of his crash. A blood test found a deadly amount of fentanyl in his system.

Hurley did not testify during the trial, though his mother took the stand to speak about his recent dental procedures and the hydrocodone he was prescribed. He told officers on scene he'd taken hydrocodone, but the blood test came back positive for fentanyl.

During the sentencing, Hurley gave a brief statement apologizing for his actions. 

"There is nothing I can or will say that will be able to make anybody feel any better about what's happened," he said. "All I can say is that I am truly sorry about what's happened. I never meant for any of this to happen." 

Attorney Jordan Potts, who represented Hurley, asked O'Connell to reduce the jury's recommended sentence to 35 years in prison, arguing "it was a tragic, tragic accident." 

Potts also said Hurley would appeal the verdict. 

Hurley's parents pleaded for mercy, telling the judge he was a good man, a former U.S. Marine, who never meant to hurt anyone. 

But prosecutors argued the jury sent a "strong message" and asked the judge to sentence Hurley to the maximum prison sentence, saying he still complains about the trial in jail phone calls. 

Family members of the victims told the judge that the family's life has been destroyed.

"It has torn us all apart," one family member said. 

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