On Friday, a tour bus driver, Ophadell Williams, was
acquitted of manslaughter and negligent homicide in a crash that occurred on
March 12, 2011. The crash killed 15 gamblers who were on their way to a casino
in New York City. Prosecutors said the driver was suffering from extreme
exhaustion while driving and he was, “ all but asleep.”
Williams argued he had been awake and alert at the time. He
argued that the crash was caused because of a tractor-trailer that cut him off
and caused him to swerve. Investigators found no evidence that this happened.
Prosecutor Garry Wiel thought the not guilty verdict was a
disappointment. He alleged that Williams was sleep-deprived from his work at
another job during the day. The exhaustion impacted his reflexes as if he were
intoxicated. He stated, “Williams knew the risks, but drove anyway.”
However, Williams was found guilty for, “aggravated
unlicensed driving.” The judge sentenced him to 30 days in prison and Williams
had to pay a fee of $500.
Williams’ lawyer, Patrick Bruno, said that the verdict made
an important legal point. "It's saying that if you are going to try and make fatigue —
sleepiness — a criminal legal issue in a motor vehicle accident, you have a lot,
lot more to prove," he stated.
I found this case interesting because it helps illustrate an important
idea about how lack of sleep affects someone’s driving ability. I was also
surprised by the verdict like many others and wondered what it would take to
make sleepiness a criminal legal issue since so many people do drive when they
are sleep deprived. It will be interesting to see how this case affects future
cases similar to it.
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