People make mistakes on a daily basis. Some mistakes are inconsequential, but other mistakes, big or small, can alter lives forever. One Pennsylvania woman illegally made a left turn in her minivan resulting in yet another of the fatal motorcycle accidents that occurred in 2016.
On the way home from her job, the 23-year-old woman became aware that she was low on gas. The quick decision to turn left into a gas station is that she stated in court that she wishes she had not made. According to records, her left turn was also illegal and many signs were present to inform drivers. When she turned, she collided with a couple on a motorcycle, forever changing their lives. The 42-year-old motorcycle driver was killed, and his passenger was seriously and permanently injured.
The minivan driver’s mistake was recorded by a patrol officer’s dash cam that happened to be monitoring the intersection at the time of the accident. She was charged for her actions proceeding the accident, and she recently pleaded guilty in criminal court to most of the charges. Some of her charges were dropped due to the plea agreement she made with the prosecutor. She has been sentenced to seven years of probation, 100 hours of community service and cannot drive for two years.
Understandably, the family of the deceased and surviving victim of the accident are upset that the woman was not sentenced to jail. The sentencing judge did not feel that the driver intended to cause the victim harm and concluded that jail time was not necessary. When fatal motorcycle accidents occur in Pennsylvania, victims and family members of deceased victims may also be entitled to file personal injury or wrongful death lawsuits in civil court regardless of the outcome of any criminal court proceedings.
Source: mcall.com, “No jail time for driver in fatal motorcycle crash near Dorney Park,” Laurie Mason Schroeder, Sept. 28, 2017
