Driver Pleads Guilty In Nov. 2014 Fatal Pedestrian Accident
Following up on our Nov. 26, 2014 post about a fatal accident (“Man suffers severe injuries in bizarre New Jersey accident”), the driver involved in that accident is now heading off to prison after entering a guilty plea to vehicular homicide. The driver’s arrest followed information provided to the police by another motorist about a man exhibiting erratic driving on an evening early in November of last year. When the driver was ultimately located, it was determined that he had caused a pedestrian accident, and the victim was still on the hood of his car.
While searching for the suspect on northbound Route 9, a patrolman reportedly noticed a vehicle with — what looked like — a person on the hood of the car. When the driver was pulled off, it was apparently confirmed that the driver had struck a pedestrian who was walking on the shoulder of the road, more than a mile from where he was stopped by police. The victim’s upper body had smashed through the windshield and had to be extricated by firefighters.
According to investigation reports, field sobriety tests that were conducted indicated that the driver was intoxicated. After obtaining a search warrant, blood samples were taken for analysis. An investigation by several departments followed. The blood-alcohol percentage of the driver was not published.
The victim of this pedestrian accident was rushed to a New Jersey hospital but succumbed to his injuries within one week. Losing a loved one in any circumstance is traumatic, and it is not uncommon for surviving family members to want to see justice done. The perpetrator in this instance will spend seven years in jail and a further three years on probation. His guilty plea may benefit a wrongful death claim that can be filed by the family of the deceased pedestrian to obtain financial compensation for end-of-life expenses.
Source: nj.com, “N.J. man sentenced after driving with vehicular homicide victim through windshield“, Rob Spahr, June 25, 2015
