People in West Virginia who find themselves accused of serious crimes can often feel like they are at a big disadvantage when it comes to defending themselves. While the road may be challenging at times, it is important for defendants to remain assured that they do have the right to prove their innocence and be heard. One truck driver who is from Illinois but was involved in a serious crash in West Virginia knows this very well.
As reported by WV Metro News, the accident occurred in the spring of 2017 when the trucker’s brake system failed, preventing him from crossing a median and hitting another vehicle. The impact resulted in a fire and ultimately claimed the lives of two parents and their children and dog, all of whom were in the vehicle struck by the truck. At the beginning of 2018, the truck driver was arrested and earlier this year was convicted of four counts of negligent homicide and another criminal count of reckless driving.
With a prison sentence in the future, the case continued and now the man has been cleared of all charges. The judge making the latest ruling indicated that the brake failure was not the driver’s fault. If there had been evidence to show that the driver knew of a brake problem, the outcome might have been different. The overturned ruling was made in a way so that the original trial essentially never took place.
There are still civil charges pending in the matter and the outcome of those are unknown at this time.
