VERO BEACH — A 70-year-old woman from the Vero Beach area has been sentenced to four years in state prison after pleading no contest to DUI manslaughter in a 2021 crash that killed her passenger and close friend.
Irene Vatland Testa entered the plea last month and was adjudicated guilty Tuesday by Circuit Judge Robert Meadows in Indian River County. In addition to prison time, Testa faces 10 years of probation, a lifetime revocation of her driver’s license and mandatory DUI classes. She also must submit to random alcohol screenings and could pay fines of up to $2,000.
The crash happened shortly after 8:30 p.m. on April 15, 2021, as Testa drove a red 2011 Kia Soul out of The Antilles neighborhood near U.S. Highway 1 and 65th Street. Authorities said she failed to yield while crossing the northbound lanes, pulling into the path of an oncoming 2002 Honda CR-V. The impact spun the Kia and caused extensive damage, requiring rescuers to cut off its roof to free the occupants…