Ellen Engelhardt, a Massachusetts State Police trooper who was paralyzed in a drunken driver crash in 2003, has died.
Engelhardt was severely injured and paralyzed when her parked cruiser was rear-ended by a drunken teenager who was going about 90 mph on Route 25 in Wareham on July 26, 2003.
"Since suffering the tragic injuries inflicted upon her in the line of duty by a drunk driver, Trooper Engelhardt has been an inspiration to every member of this Department for the courage, grace and dignity with which she lived," the State Police said in a statement.
William P. Senne, of Wayland, who was 18 at the time of the crash, was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges of drunken driving and driving to endanger in 2005.
Engelhardt was a 23-year veteran of the state police at the time of the crash. She is survived by a daughter, Lora.
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