(JACKSON, Mich.) — A Concord man will spend a year in jail for a crash that killed his friend in 2022. Twenty-one-year-old Cross Herrera was sentenced Wednesday to the maximum 365 days in the Jackson County Jail for a drunken driving crash that killed 27-year-old Amber Taylor.

The crash happened in June 2022 when Herrera’s vehicle left Behling Road in Concord Township, hit mailboxes, and struck a tree. Taylor died from her injuries while Herrera, who was 18 at the time, suffered serious injuries.

Prosecutors said Herrera’s blood alcohol level was below the legal limit but alcohol was still a factor in the crash. Judge John McBain rejected a recommendation for probation, saying the case called for accountability.

Herrera pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of moving violation causing death and being a minor operating with alcohol in his system. He must also write an apology letter to Taylor’s family while serving his sentence.