SCOTTSDALE, AZ (CBS5) -
The man convicted of drunken driving when his car rear-ended a Scottsdale pedicab has been sentenced.
Court records show Joseph Spano pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated assault and one count of endangerment. He was sentenced on Jan. 10 to four years in prison and two years of probation.
Spano was arrested after his 2012 Ford sedan struck the northbound pedicab in the median lane on Scottsdale Road just north of McDonald Road about 3 a.m. on Dec. 28, 2012, according to Sgt. Mark Clark of the Scottsdale Police Department.
The crash seriously injured Kansas State football fans Cody Clark and Michael D. Tysver, both 21 and from Great Bend, KS, who were riding in the back of the pedicab driven by 19-year-old Saipaia J. Tavake of Tempe, Mark Clark said.
The family of one of the Kansas fans say it's a miracle he's alive.
Cody Clark had severe head trauma, and Tysver suffered a spine injury. Tavake was treated and released.
Michael Tysver's father, Joel Tysver, said his son was treated at SHC Osborn Hospital, where he had surgery on his spinal cord.
Joel Tysver said it's a miracle that Michael is alive. On a website dedicated to raising funds for the victims' families, Joel Tysver wrote the following statement.
"A big thank you for all who have helped too. Every penny of whatever is collected will go to these young men and no one else. Cody's family will especially need the help as we continue to pray for his speedy recovery."
Joel Tysver said his son was celebrating his 21st birthday the night of the crash. Joel Tysver also told CBS 5 News this isn't the first time a drunken driver has impacted their family. He said a couple of years ago, his son Michael was in a car with his uncle, and after dropping Michael off, the uncle was hit and killed by a drunken driver.
The Kansas men were in town to cheer on Kansas State University at the Fiesta Bowl and were being taken back to their hotel from a downtown Scottsdale bar, Mark Clark said. Tavake said he was trying to turn left onto a road leading to their hotel and didn't see the Ford approaching from the rear, Mark Clark said.
Spano and two passengers in the sedan were not hurt, Officer Dave Pubins said.
Police said the pedicab was properly equipped for night driving, including a light on the front and reflectors on the back, but that it was unusual for pedicabs to venture that far north of Old Town Scottsdale, a hot spot for late-night revelers.
Many fans of the University of Oregon and Kansas State University Wildcats were in Scottsdale before and after the Fiesta Bowl, won by the Ducks at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale.
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(Source: Scottsdale Police Department) Joseph Spano, 27, of Phoenix, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, endangerment and aggravated assault after his sedan struck a pedicab on Scottsdale Road early Friday morning.
(Source: CBS 5 News) Three people were hospitalized after this pedicab and a car collided in Scottsdale on Friday morning.
