Man sentenced for fatal car accident that killed woman last year

A 23-year-old man accepted a plea agreement in exchange for a guilty plea. He received a sentence of up to 10 years in prison for a fatal car accident that he caused last year. The Pennsylvania man killed an 80-year-old woman in the wreck last April.

The accident occurred when the man stated he was attempting to beat a red light while speeding. He proceeded through a red signal light and then struck the victim’s vehicle as it proceeded into the intersection. The force of the collision caused the woman’s car to overturn onto its side.

The victim died from her injuries at the time of the crash. The driver then grabbed his illegal license tag and left the wrecked car on foot. He stated that he discarded the tag and headed to his work place. He notified family that he was involved in a serious accident and then returned to the crash scene where he surrendered to Pennsylvania police.

His blood alcohol level was slightly over the legal limit. In exchange for his guilty plea, prosecutor’s office dropped some of the charges he was facing for this fatal car accident. If the victim’s family have not already done so, they may seek to file a wrongful death civil suit against the driver. Families who have lost a loved one through the negligent actions of another are assured the right to file these civil suits as a way of seeking monetary compensation for the financial harm they sustained as a result of a collision.

Source: montgomerynews.com, “State prison sentence in fatal Hatfield crash“, Michael Goldberg, March 29, 2017