Drugged driver gets 13 years for hitting runner

The man who hit and seriously injured Greg Phelps on a training run in Pewaukee last November has been sentenced to 13 years in prison, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

Thomas Brinkman, 22, pleaded guilty in June to charges of intoxicated use of a vehicle and possession of narcotics. As part of a plea agreement, the judge dismissed charges of reckless driving and causing great bodily harm, injury by use of a vehicle while under the influence of controlled substance and possession of cocaine.

Brinkman struck Phelps, 45, on November 28 while Phelps was running on a sidewalk along Capitol Drive in the Village of Pewaukee. The impact broke 14 bones in Phelps' body, lacerated his liver and caused significant bleeding in his brain, according to the newspaper.

He ran his first post-crash race in July, and finished the Summerfest Rock 'n' Sole 10K in 1:06:42. He told the newspaper he was motivated to support the run's charity beneficiary, the Ronald McDonald House; and to share a message about the dangers of impaired driving.

The judge in the case ordered Brinkman's 13-year sentence to start after he has completed a 3.5-year prison term he was sentenced to in May 2009 for being part of a heroin ring in Milwaukee and Waukesha counties., according to the newspaper.