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Babysitter Pleads Guilty In Accident That Killed Two Children

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LITTLETON, N.C. — A babysitter, behind the wheel when two children died in a crash, will only have a misdemeanor conviction on her record, after a plea agreement.

Last October, N.C. Highway Patrol investigators said Amanda Milton's car struck the corner of a bridge over Rock House Road near Littleton. The car flipped and landed upside down in the creek. That is how, authorities say, Crissy Laureano, 7, and her cousin, Alana Liles, 9, died.

The Highway Patrol blames speed for the accident, but it could not be proven in court.

Milton agreed to plead guilty to reckless driving in return for a suspended sentence. She could eventually get her driving privileges restored.

The mother of one of the victims says it brings the families a bit of closure.

"No, she didn't wake up that morning and say this was going to happen, but she did have somebody else's life in her hands when she was in that automobile," said Tammy Laureano. "She did not take the care that needed to be taken."

Gilbert Chichester represented Milton in court. He said she feels great remorse, and the tragic accident is something she will have to have to deal with for the rest of her life.

"She babysat for these children on a regular basis," said Chichester. "The parents trusted her, and she was like family to them."

Crissy's mother said she is ready to move forward and work to toughen a state law that gives leniency to drivers who cause fatal accidents.

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