A drunk driver who maimed for life a University of South Carolina freshman in 2011 and then fled the scene has been given a suspended prison sentence and probation by a state judge.

In 2011, the case attracted widespread attention not only because of the extent of James “Mac” Dunbar’s physical and brain injuries but because a taxi driver saw Ashley Coleman’s vehicle strike Dunbar as he was sprinting across South Assembly Street, then drive away from the scene.

The taxi driver followed Coleman to her Rosewood home and called police.

Judge Robert Hood sentenced Coleman to 15 years in prison. She pleaded guilty to felony DUI causing great bodily injury and leaving the scene of an accident that caused great bodily injury.

Instead of hard time, however, Coleman — whom prosecutor Dolly Garfield said in court had a .22 blood-alcohol content — will have to be on home detention for one year with an ankle bracelet, according to court records. Coleman, now 29, will be able to travel to and from work and school, where she is pursuing a health sciences degree.

She also will have to wear a SCRAM ankle bracelet that detects the presence of alcohol in her system for five years, according to Hood’s order in the case.

If she violates her probation conditions, Coleman would go back before Hood and would be eligible for a prison sentence. Hood insisted on retaining jurisdiction in the case so he can track any developments.

Meanwhile, Dunbar continues to suffer grievously from his life-changing physical and brain injuries. He was struck Feb. 20, 2011, near the Sonic Drive-in restaurant and USC’s Swearingen Engineering Center on the four-lane South Assembly Street.

“He, basically, had to be taught how to walk again and to talk again,” said Gene Adams, the Spartanburg attorney who represents Dunbar and his family, who also are from Spartanburg.

In the five years since the incident, Dunbar has undergone 18 surgeries, Adams said.

“He broke about every bone in both legs, shoulder and arm. He has hardware in both legs — I’m talking about massive hardware — screws, pins and plates — and his arm and shoulder, too,” Adams said.

“He’s made enormous progress — he is able to walk, “Adams said. “But he can’t run or jump or play tennis or basketball,” Adams said. “He has all kinds of ongoing problems and constant discomfort in his legs and arms.”

At Spartanburg High School, Dunbar was a top athlete, playing varsity basketball, soccer and tennis. He was a student leader and got a major award for civic achievement, Adams said.

Dunbar would have died, Adams said, but there happened to be an EMS unit at the Sonic restaurant. The medics were at the scene in seconds.

“If it had not been for that, Mac would have died at the scene,” Adams said. A top emergency surgeon at Palmetto Richland, Dr. Raymond Bynoe, then saved Dunbar’s life a second time by his quick work at the hospital, Adams said.

After the surgery, Dunbar was in a deep coma for almost two months before showing minimal signs of consciousness. He was then transferred to Atlanta’s Shepherd Center, which specializes in catastrophic brain and spinal cord injuries. After five months there, he went home, where he was hospitalized again and continues rehabilitation.

Coleman, then a 23-year-old part-time waitress and student at Midlands Tech, failed a field sobriety test when officers arrived at her Elm Avenue home in the nearby Rosewood neighborhood minutes after the accident. That’s also when police saw glass from the accident in her mouth.

Coleman was charged with felony DUI, leaving the scene of an accident and failure to give information and render aid. She was released on $50,000 bond.

It took almost five years for the case to be disposed of.

Laura Hudson, director of the S.C. Crime Victims Council, said she was disappointed that Coleman avoided prison, because she fled the scene and because the injuries to Dunbar were so severe.

“There are some things that are worse than death — having a lifetime of not being the same person that you were,” said Hudson, who attended the hearing.

She also said she thinks the case should have been disposed of in a more timely fashion.

Hudson said Coleman’s lawyers mounted an aggressive defense, filing motions questioning the constitutionality of blood and sobriety tests given to Coleman to scientifically determine her intoxication level.

“That is so disgusting to me, that there are so many moves that are available to the defense that causes there to be justice delayed,” Hudson said. But, she said, she was glad Hood retained jurisdiction over the case going forward.

Dick Harpootlian and Barney Giese, both of whom once ran the 5th Circuit Solicitors Office, represented Coleman. “It’s a tragic situation,” Harpootlian said.

There’s no question “that what she did was wrong, but anybody who knows all the facts knows that this was an appropriate resolution,” Harpootlian said.

For one thing, there was a question about whether Dunbar was in the roadway or in the walkway, Harpootlian said.

Current 5th Circuit Solicitor Dan Johnson said Wednesday that several factors contributed to the delay in settling the Coleman case.

For one thing, generally speaking, his office has some 8,000 pending cases and only 38 lawyers, and only so many cases can be brought before a limited number of judges each week, Johnson said.

“The court system is underfunded,” Johnson said.

Coleman’s lawyers also “bitterly contested” several legal issues in the case, he said, which accounted for about a year’s delay.

It wasn’t until Jan. 25 that Hood issued a two-page order denying all of Harpootlian’s and Giese’s arguments to throw the case out of court.

“But they were arguments that might have had traction on appeal,” Johnson said. “We had some risk there. Under the plea, she agreed not to appeal. The result takes into consideration all aggravating circumstances and mitigating circumstances.”

The Dunbar’s family attorney, Adams, said the family had no complaint about how Johnson or prosecutor Garfield handled the case.

Johnson said, “This was a tough case.”