A Louisiana man will serve 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to vehicular homicide. The charges were filed against him in connection to a 2011 vehicle accident that left a 28-year-old veterinarian dead.

Police say the fatal vehicle accident occurred as the veterinarian, formerly from Baton Rouge, was transporting animals in a truck on a Louisiana highway, when his vehicle was rear-ended by car. This collision pushed the truck into the opposite lane of traffic, causing it to be struck again by an oncoming garbage truck. The victim was killed in the crash.

Investigators claim the 51-year-old driver of the car that struck the victim's truck was speeding at the time of the accident and was attempting to illegally pass another vehicle in a no-passing zone. Police say that toxicology test prove the driver was also under the influence of illicit drugs at the time of the crash. While the man's blood alcohol concentration was below the Louisiana legal limit of .08 percent, the suspect allegedly tested positive for cocaine.

The suspect has three prior convictions for driving while intoxicated. The District Attorney's Office agreed to drop a fourth DWI charge after the suspect pleaded guilty and agreed to a 30-year prison sentence.

The suspect reportedly stood and hung his head during the hearing. Offering a brief statement to the victim's family, he said he wanted to apologize. "If there was anything I could do to change what happened, I would," he announced.

The victim's friends and family have established a scholarship in his memory at LSU in Baton Rouge, where the man earned his veterinary degree.

Source: Houma Today, "Raceland driver guilty in fatal 2011 crash," Nate Monroe, Jan. 6, 2012