BOSTON, Sept. 20, 2013—A Winthrop woman will serve two and a half years behind bars for driving drunk and crashing into another vehicle, critically injuring the two Revere men inside, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

AMANDA BIZEUR (D.O.B. 3/21/81) today pleaded guilty to two counts of operating under the influence causing serious bodily injury for causing the crash on Feb. 5, 2012, just before midnight.

Assistant District Attorney Tonya Platt of the DA’s Major Felony Bureau recommended that Bizeur serve five years in state prison followed by probation; Suffolk Superior Court Judge Christine Roach imposed half that term, to be served in a house of correction, followed by five years of probation. During those five years, she must remain drug- and alcohol-free and perform community service working with people who have suffered traumatic brain injuries.

Had the case proceeded to trial, Platt would have introduced evidence and testimony to prove that Bizeur was intoxicated as she drove a Toyota Camry northbound on American Legion Highway when she struck a white van operated by a 42-year-old Revere man and occupied by his 39-year-old brother.

The driver was ejected from the vehicle and has been hospitalized with life-altering injuries ever since.

“Because of his acute injuries, he is required to have a sitter by his side 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” the victims’ father wrote in an impact statement submitted to the court on their behalf. “Because there is a traumatic brain injury, his life will never be the same again …. He enjoyed camping, hiking, canoeing, and being outdoors up north, but these are activities he will never enjoy again.

His brother and passenger was also critically injured but after surgeries and with physical therapy is now able to walk under his own power. Even today, however, he remains in pain from his injuries.

“To this day, he has difficulty sleeping due to significant pain,” their father wrote. “He is still undergoing physical therapy several times per week and he has 12 screws in his back and neck.”

“For all they’ve suffered over the past year and a half, this family has shown tremendous strength, dignity, and perseverance,” Conley said. “Police, prosecutors, and victim advocates have all been deeply impressed by their grace against the backdrop of tragedy.”

The case was investigated by the Suffolk County State Police Detective Unit and Revere Police Department. Michael Coffey was the DA’s assigned victim-witness advocate.

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All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.