A truck driver from Alabama has been sentenced in an accident case where one person was killed. The driver, a 31-year-old man from York, Alabama, was driving when he struck a Toyota sedan after failing to stop at a stop sign. A 49-year-old woman didn’t survive the truck accidents.
The news reports that the truck driver pleaded guilty to homicide by vehicle in the second degree when he appeared at court. He agreed to a plea arrangement, which allowed two charges for running a stop sign and speeding 55 in a 35 mph zone to be dropped. For the misdemeanor of homicide by vehicle, the man has been sentenced to a year of probation.
The man has also received a $1,320 fine for the accident as part of the plea deal. Surprisingly, the man arrived to court on July 15 and was released the same day. The court records also showed that the man’s license was not suspended or revoked despite being involved in a fatal accident. Since the accident took place, the intersection at Midland and Blue Jay roads has been turned into a four-way stop. This may help to reduce crashes in the future, but it does nothing for this woman or her family now.
Losing a loved one in an accident like this one is horrible, and if the driver is free to continue driving as he or she was before, then you could feel betrayed by the legal system. Fortunately, you can pursue a civil lawsuit against the person at fault, so you can get the compensation and justice you rightly deserve.
Source: Savannah Morning News, “Alabama truck driver gets probation in fatal Effingham wreck” G.G. Rigsby, Jul. 18, 2014
