CASSOPOLIS — Lorrie Routley doesn’t drink at all. She raised her three children to avoid alcohol.
But the bottle still has affected her. Routley was driving on M-205 in Edwardsburg in February 2010 when a car operated by a drunken driver crossed the center line and struck her head-on.
The results were devastating: a plate in her hip, seven pins in her right hand, two pins in her right foot. She now only has 60 percent function of the right side of her body and may have to have her foot amputated.
She faced the man who caused the accident for the first time Friday in Cass County Circuit Court at his sentencing.
Ralph Katzenberger, 51 of Elkhart, was sentenced to 16 to 24 months in prison — the maximum sentence allowed under his guideline range.
Katzenberger had been in an argument with his girlfriend the night of the incident and already intoxicated, he left the situation, choosing to drive to the bar.
After the collision, Katzenberger registered a 0.17 percent blood alcohol level. He was also driving on a suspended license.
“You were inviting this kind of disaster,” Dodge told the man.
Routley’s husband, Michael, was also in the vehicle and sustained injuries that may have contributed to his death this past July. Routley said she used to be a physically active person but the multiple surgeries have taken their toll.
She said she can no longer do her job, and $500,000 in medical bills led to her losing her home. She has lost her medical insurance and can no longer see her doctor.
“You took my life from me,” she told Katzenberger. “God says I need to forgive you, and I have forgiven you. But I won’t forget.
“This is not right, not right at all.”
Katzenberger’s drinking has hurt himself too. His attorney, Lawrence Quigley, said he has terminal liver disease.
Katzenberger had been on the lam for about two years after he was a no-show for his arraignment in 2010.
For his part, Katzenberger said he was sorry.
“I had too much going on in my life and couldn’t handle it,” he said. “I wish I could do something but I can’t.”
Katzenberger will receive credit for 55 days already served.