Georgia man sentenced to 15 years in I-95 Christmas Day 2020 crash that killed Virginia dad

GLYNN COUNTY, Ga. — A man has been sentenced to prison for his role in a Christmas Day 2020 crash that killed a Virginia father.

Brandon Eugene Mack, 35, of Ellenwood, Ga., was sentenced to 15 years in prison after he pleaded guilty Friday to homicide by vehicle in the first degree and hit and run, according to a release from the office of Keith Higgins, District Attorney for the Brunswick Judicial Circuit.

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He was also sentenced to five years of probation.

Mack entered a “non-negotiated guilty plea,” the release said. According to RachelKaufmanLaw.com, “A non-negotiated plea is a plea entered into by the defendant without a deal with the State. By entering a non-negotiated plea, the Defense essentially leaves sentencing in the hands of the Court.”

The crash happened on Interstate 95 southbound in Glynn County on Christmas Day in 2020. William Snyder, 45, and his family, including his wife Megan, his 2-year-old son and 12-year-old nephew, were traveling to Florida.

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Snyder’s wife had taken over driving around 4:30 a.m. when their vehicle was rear-ended by Mack’s vehicle, according to the release.

The Snyders’ vehicle hit a guard-rail and flipped several times. William Snyder, who was not wearing a seat belt at the time, was ejected from the vehicle. He died at the scene of the crash, while no one else involved, including Mack, was seriously injured, the release said.

Megan Snyder was not able to find her husband after the crash and asked Mack for help. He refused and then walked away, according to the release.

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A driver stopped to help and Mack told that driver he “didn’t do nothing,” the release said. The driver went to call 911 and Mack asked him not to. Mack asked the driver if he could get in his car and drive away, and the driver refused. Mack then offered the driver money, then walked southbound on I-95.

A second driver stopped to help and Mack knocked on her window and told her, “You guys never saw me,” the release said.

Mack was later found still walking south on I-95 and was arrested by the Georgia State Patrol.

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Investigators from GSP reconstructed the crash and found that Mack was travelling at a speed over 120 miles per hour at the time of collision.

The release said a bottle of tequila was found in Mack’s front passenger compartment and his blood alcohol concentration six hours after the collision was 0.178. The release said this put his estimated BAC at the time of the collision at 0.268.

In Georgia, a person is legally impaired at a BAC of 0.08, so Mack was more than three times the legal limit at the time of the crash, the release said.

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Mack had three previous convictions for driving under the influence of alcohol, the release said.

A GoFundMe that was set up for Snyder’s family at the time of his death included a message from Megan Snyder that said in part:

“I have lost my very best friend. My soulmate. The BEST daddy, husband, son, friend, brother, cousin, Uncle, co-worker, everything. This man was EVERYTHING to me. He was taken from me. His life was stolen. He was taken from the life we have built together. This unbelievable love we have, we were truly made for one another.”

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