A former Mountain Brook doctor pleaded guilty in the traffic crash death of her 10-year-old daughter that happened while she was fleeing police.

Sarah “Kathleen” Cumbest Mullican, 46, pleaded guilty Wednesday morning to reckless manslaughter and attempting to elude, both of which are felonies.

Mullican was an anesthesiologist but voluntarily surrendered her medical license shortly after the deadly crash.

Killed in the July 22, 2023, wreck in Mountain Brook was Mullican’s daughter, Annabelle. Her other daughter was not injured.

Mullican and her attorneys — Tommy Spina, Brett Bloomston and Ben Preston — appeared before Jefferson County Circuit Judge Shanta Owens to enter the guilty pleas.

” I made a series of very bad decisions that resulted in the death of my precious daughter, Annabelle,’’ a tearful Mullican told the court. “I deeply regret my actions and desperately wish I could change them.”

“I accept the sentence you are about to impose,’’ she said. “There isn’t a minute that goes by that the gravity of my actions do not weigh on my heart and body in every single way.”

“I deeply apologize to all of those affected by my actions,’’ she said, “and hope to be forgiven by them. I will never forgive myself.”

Here is full coverage of the case

Deputy District Attorney Dain Stewart prosecuted the case.

He told the court Mullican was under the influence of narcotics, some of which were prescribed, some of which weren’t, some of which were prescribed to her mother who was ailing at the time.

“At the time this happened, the defendant was a doctor, she had a job, a marriage, financial security, a home,’’ Stewart said. “She had things going in her favor and she had every duty to take care of the children who were in the back seat of her car.”

“When she fled from the police, she was worried about the potential result of being under the influence and driving and speeding,’’ he said. “Rather than accept those consequences, she ran recklessly and crashed and ended the life of one of her children.”

Stewart said he understand she lost a child, lost her medical license and lost her job, but said those are consequences of the decisions she made, not punishment.

Mullican’s husband was not in court and the couple is going through a divorce. Stewart said Mr. Mullican for the good of their surviving daughter would like mother and daughter to maintain a relationship.

Owens said took into account the positions and feelings of those in court, as well as the effect for the surviving daughter.

Mullican was sentenced to 15 years on the manslaughter charge but will serve 2 1/2 of that in prison and 10 years with 2 1/2 to serve in prison on the attempting to elude charge. The two prison sentences will be served concurrently.

Mullican must turn herself in at the Jefferson County jail on March 10 to begin her sentence in state prison.

Owens said she took into consideration the feelings of Mullican’s surviving daughter who wishes to maintain a relationship with her mother.

Mullican was initially arrested on the two felony charges on Sept. 15, 2023.

According to charging documents, Mullican did “recklessly cause the death of (Annabelle) by operating a motor vehicle…in excess of posted speed limits, and/or by attempting to elude a law enforcement officer, and/or while under the influence of controlled substances, thereby causing the death of (Annabelle) who was a passenger in the vehicle.”

The affidavit did not state what substances police say Mullican was under the influence of at the time.

The crash happened about 5:30 p.m. that Saturday on Cherokee Road in Mountain Brook.

According to a police report, an officer was parked in the driveway of a residence on Old Leeds Road when he saw a white Toyota Highlander coming toward him from Crosshill Road on Old Leeds Road at a high rate of speed.

The officer clocked Mullican driving 47 mph in a 30-mph zone.

The officer followed the SUV and saw it swerve out of its lane several times, the report states.

It then turned left onto Cherokee Road, nearly striking a vehicle that it turned in front of, the report states.

The officer then activated his emergency equipment and attempted to conduct a traffic stop.

The officer saw the driver throw a cup out the window along with another unidentified object in the 3500 block of Cherokee Road, police have said.

“The vehicle appeared to accelerate after (the officer) turned his lights and siren on,’’ the report states.

The SUV then “negotiated” the curve as the roadway curved to the right. As the roadway curved back to the left, the vehicle ran off the right side of the roadway.

It then struck several trees and overturned before coming to a stop in the ditch on the right side of the road.

The crash was recorded on the officer’s dash cam.

It showed that when the SUV ran off the right side of the road, the passenger’s side of the vehicle struck a tree. The vehicle began spinning before it struck another tree on the passenger’s side.

The vehicle then spun around and overturned as it struck another tree while sliding further down the ditch, according to the report.

The SUV then hit a fourth tree with its front bumper before coming to a stop while it was still overturned.

Mullican had several abrasions on her arms and legs. She was treated by Mountain Brook Fire on the scene and released.

Callie Mullican, then 8, also suffered abrasions on her arms and legs. Police believe she was seated in the passenger’s side backseat, with her seat belt locked in place, records state.

She was taken to Children’s of Alabama.

Annabelle was seated in the driver’s side back seat. Her seat belt was not locked in place “indicating that she was not wearing her seat belt,” according to the report.

“Annabelle had a major head injury and was unresponsive at the scene,’’ the officer wrote.

She was taken to Children’s of Alabama where she was pronounced dead at 6:20 p.m. The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office told police Annabelle’s fatal injuries included a skull fracture.

The report says Mullican was taken by police to Children’s of Alabama.

A search warrant for Mullican’s blood and saliva was later carried out at Brookwood Baptist Medical Center.

Mullican was admitted to Brookwood for a psychiatric evaluation and issued a traffic citation by police for reckless driving.

Mullican’s attorneys released this statement following today’s pleas:

“Today, Kathleen Mullican, was finally able to formally accept responsibility for her actions that tragically led to the death of her daughter, Annabelle, and enter a guilty plea and accept imposition of the sentence imposed. She has wanted to do so since day 1, but our criminal justice system just does not allow that to occur.

This heartbreaking incident, has profoundly impacted the lives of all involved and our community.

While she acknowledges her actions were reckless and unacceptable, it must be clear that she never intended to harm her children.

The loss of Annabelle is an unimaginable burden that Kathleen must carry for the rest of her life. She is devastated by the outcome of that tragic day and is committed to taking full accountability for her actions. She will continue to confront the consequences of her actions and work towards healing. While she was under the influence of prescribed medication and some other medications it was the ” not stopping for the police” ( eluding the traffic stop) that formed the underlying basis for the manslaughter charge.

Since the accident she has devoted hundreds of hours of community service to help others and has remained substance free of all controlled substances not medically prescribed. This has been evidenced by court monitoring in related proceedings in parallel court proceedings in other courts. Her failure to stop for the officer and acceleration caused her to swerve and lose control of the vehicle on a very precarious stretch of Cherokee Road. She was not impaired by alcohol at the time of the accident nor by the ingestion of any substance.

In this difficult period, Kathleen has had limited supervised contact with her surviving daughter. She is heartbroken by this separation but hopes for the opportunity to continue the growth of building their strong relationship to become even stronger for the future.

Moreover, this tragedy underscores the need for responsible behavior on the road. The safety of ourselves and our loved ones depends on our ability to make sound decisions, especially when it comes to driving. Never underestimate the potential impact of your choices—

Let this be a wake-up call for everyone to practice mindfulness in their daily lives, to cherish loved ones, and to take proactive steps toward mental and emotional wellness.

Seek help when facing challenges, because each moment matters, and each choice can lead you down an entirely different path—one that could forever alter the lives of those you hold dear.

Let us honor the memory of Annabelle and commit to making choices that uplift and protect ourselves and others.”