A Weymouth man today admitted to being under the influence of heroin when he drove a minivan through a Roslindale intersection, striking a 50-year-old pedestrian with such force that the victim went into a coma from which he is only now showing signs of recovering, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

COREY LEGERE (D.O.B. 11/6/84) was sentenced to three years in state prison to be followed by three years of probation after pleading guilty to operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of drugs and causing serious bodily injury, leaving the scene of an accident causing personal injury, possession of a Class A substance, and operating with a suspended license.

“By the grace of God, the man he hit seems to be recovering better than anyone expected,” Conley said. “That being said, this case could very well have turned out a motor vehicle homicide.”

The charges stem from an Oct. 22, 2008, incident in which Legere, after injecting heroin, drove through the intersection of Centre and Archdale streets without slowing or stopping. As he did so, Legere struck a Jamaica Plain man, then 50 years old, with such force that the man was thrown about 15 feet into a nearby parking lot.

Legere left the scene of the collision, but Boston Police investigating the case responded to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where they found the defendant, his girlfriend, and the Dodge Caravan in which they had arrived. The passenger’s side of the front windshield had extensive damage from a collision.

Police recovered a quantity of heroin from Legere’s person. Legere later made voluntary, post-Miranda statements indicating that he had injected heroin prior to the collision – statements that were later corroborated by independent evidence.

The victim, whom doctors did not initially expect would survive, is now beginning to show signs of recovery and has demonstrated some control over his motor control functions. He is also beginning to interact with his family again, prosecutors said.

Legere was represented by attorney Peter Muse.