Posted on 11/03/2019 5:01:01 AM PST by csvset
The driver in a head-on Delaware crash that killed five members of a New Jersey family has been sentenced to one year of probation.
Alvin Hubbard III of Cambridge was sentenced Friday. He pleaded guilty in June to five misdemeanor counts of operating a motor vehicle causing death and two misdemeanor counts of vehicular assault.
The judge gave the 46-year-old Hubbard the maximum combined sentence of 14 years but suspended the prison time for a year of probation. Prosecutors sought a six-month sentence.
Mary Rose Ballocanag, 52, of Teaneck, New Jersey, her husband Audie Trinidad, 61, and their four daughters Kaitlyn, 20, Danna, 17, and twins Allison and Melissa, 13, were returning from a trip to Ocean City, Maryland, in July of last year when a pickup truck driven by Hubbard crossed a median and hit their minivan, investigators said.
Ballocanag survived. Her husband and four daughters all died.
"Part of me died that day," Ballocanag said about the crash.
Hubbard and his passenger walked away without serious injuries.
Investigators took more than three months to conclude the investigation leading to charges against Hubbard. They determined that Hubbard operated his truck in a criminally negligent manner when he exited his lane of travel, crossed the center median between a multi-lane highway, and crashed into oncoming traffic.
Hubbard was initially charged with five counts of second-degree vehicular homicide, three counts of vehicular assault and other offenses.
Ballocanag's attorney stated last October that she planned to file a civil suit against Hubbard after the investigation.
Wow...not the way I want to start a Sunday. Tears are willing up in my eyes thinking about this poor woman and her family.
Where I live you can get 10 years for calling someone a “dirty moslem”.
More here & perp pic...https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/2019/11/01/maryland-man-gets-years-probation-crash-killed-5-members-trinidad-family/2498450001/
F350 off-shouldered, got back, then crossed median. Any bets on texting?
She’s crippled still, after eight surgeries, can’t work.
Our justice system is beyond broken.
Nowhere does the article explain why only probation.
Perhaps human life, no matter the age, is viewed as worthless.
Looks like they’re extending the ‘punishments’ usually given to Illegals to certain classes of Americans now.
Without intoxication or truly reckless actions such as racing or rage, this wreck is like thousands of others in our transportation sydtem. There are 30,000 deaths a year in the system we created. These cases are tragic for all.
And, perhaps, had the daughters had seat belts on, they would not have been killed. Undoubtedly, they would have been injured, but perhaps not killed.
Mary Rose Ballocanag, 52, of Teaneck, New Jersey, survived.
Her husband Audie Trinidad, 61, and their four daughters Kaitlyn, 20, Danna, 17, and twins Allison and Melissa, 13, were killed.
They were returning from a trip to Ocean City, Maryland, in July of last year when a pickup truck driven by Hubbard crossed a median and hit their minivan, investigators said.
Ballocanag lost her husband and four daughters.
“Part of me died that day,” Ballocanag said about the crash.
Hubbard and his passenger walked away without serious injuries.
Absolutely despicable! A life means nothing anymore, irresponsibility rules the day and is protected
Seems like maybe Hubbard fell asleep. How else do you account for going across the median. I’d like to know details of his work schedule - where was he going and coming from. Was there a jury or was there just one judge who decided probation was warranted.
All the way to post #8 before we get ‘“ blame the victims”
This, folks, is why people like Hubbard get “ probation”
Now please Sir, drive safely and don’t kill anyone else for the next 14 months...
Hubbard first struck a sedan driven by Brian Kern in the north lanes, injuring the man. Then, the truck collided with the Trinidads’ minivan.
The entirety of the incident lasted a few seconds, but it took the lives of 61-year-old Audie Trinidad and his daughters, Kaitlyn, 20, Danna, 17, and twins Allison and Melissa, 13.
On Friday, Mary Rose Ballocanag of Teaneck, N.J., whose husband and four daughters were killed, approached a lectern to address the court.
At first, she couldn’t muster her words, only weeping softly before saying, “Sorry.”
She then described for the court the injuries she suffered and treatments she endured following the crash. Her eight surgeries haven’t been enough to bring back full use of her legs and arms, she said.
Never again will she be able to work as a nurse, Ballocanag said.
“But my physical pain is nothing compared to the mental pain and anguish of losing my entire family.”
As she finished, Ballocanag turned toward Hubbard and revealed a photo of her four daughters and husband.
“I want you to look at their faces,” she said to a tearful Hubbard. “So when you look at your children, you will see the pieces of my children and my husband.”
IF Hubbard had stayed within his own lane, the seat belts wouldn't have mattered.
ac·ci·dent
noun
1. an unfortunate incident that happens unexpectedly and unintentionally, typically resulting in damage or injury.
Thankfully, our legal system does not put people in jail simply because something bad happens. If he had been drinking, texting or doing something else irresponsible that contributed to the crash, which was not established, jail time would be appropriate.
Sounds like racism was involved in the bigoted decision to allow probation instead of serious jail time. The victims were “just” Filipinos.
“something bad happens”
Wow... reminds me of the rat congress critter who referenced 911.
The dude was reckless, pure and simple.
Unless there was proven evidence showing he had an involuntary medical condition, he is at fault.
While it wasn't an issue back then, today I wonder if the kid may have been an illegal.........
Yeah, that’s believable.
Tragic all around.
Thoughts and prayers for the surviving woman.
Accidents cause untold human suffering, as do intentional acts of lawlessness, but they are not the same.
In this case, it appears that the driver was suffering from a COPD condition that caused a distraction, enough to lead to a terrible but unintentional accident. ( unplanned series of events leading to an undesirable outcome)
Punishment needs to meet the crime. Would it have mattered less if just one old convicted felon was the victim? The law must be blind or it is just is another form of human lawlessness.
But I hear you.
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