Mother goes to jail for son's car crash!

[coldfront]

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 10, 2005 Last modified: Tuesday, November 8, 2005 8:56 AM EST

Mother goes to jail for son's car crash that hurt pedestrian


Donna Williams of Morehead was recently sentenced to two years in jail after her teenage son hit a pedestrian while operating her car.

Rowan County Circuit Judge Beth Maze also ordered Williams to write a public letter of apology.

Police said that witnesses told them Williams, 34, had habitually allowed her 15-year-old son to drive her 2003 red Mercedes convertible.

On Aug. 16, 2004, the boy was driving the car when it struck Buford Crager of Morehead, who was walking his neighbor's dog. The impact of the crash injured Crager's leg, which eventually had to be amputated below the knee. The crash instantly killed the Jack Russell terrier he was walking.

Crager is a former vice president of Morehead State University.

Judge Maze said she felt that if any benefit could come of the incident, it would be public awareness.

The letter included a statement by Williams that she was too permissive with her son.

Commonwealth Attorney George Moore said it is not unprecedented for judges to require public letters of apology, but it is a new legal area for grand juries to indict a parent of an unlicensed driver on a felony charge.

Moore said putting an unlicensed driver behind the wheel of a 3,000-pound vehicle is not different from giving a child a loaded gun and hope he doesn't kill somebody.

Williams was initially indicted on a charge of first-degree assault and in a plea agreement, the charge was reduced to first-degree wanton endangerment.

She began serving a two-year sentence in Montgomery County Regional Jail on Oct. 17.

Williams's son, who is now 16, was given the maximum punishment available for a juvenile offender, according to Maze. He was not injured in the accident.

Crager said he did not ask the prosecutor to charge the mother of the driver or to make her write a public letter of apology. He added that he has no malice and hopefully, something positive can come from the incident.

[dmleblanc]

Yep, if he had the car and was driving it with her knowledge and permission, she is responsible. We responded to an accident like this a couple of months ago....Mother was having a migraine attack and wanted to go to the emergency room, but didn't feel up to driving...so she had her daughter who was I think 13 or 14, drive her to the ER. On the way home, daughter made a left turn into the path of an oncoming car. Moderate to serious injuries in both vehicles, mom ended up getting the worst of it and being airlifted, no fatalities fortunately.

Daughter stated at the scene she thought she had the right-of-way because she had a green light....Guess Mom hadn't got around to explaining about the green left-turn arrow yet......

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

Two year sentence? Tell you what. Two years would just about give me enough time to move out of the country, get a new identity and spend the rest of my life in fear that my mother would find me. Because if they sentenced her to two years, they would have been sentencing me to death.

[fireguy919]

Two year sentence? Tell you what. Two years would just about give me enough time to move out of the country, get a new identity and spend the rest of my life in fear that my mother would find me. Because if they sentenced her to two years, they would have been sentencing me to death.

LOL. George your mother and miine must be form the school. That was same thing I was think.

[PFDTruck18]

Similar case around here recently, not far from my house. Father teaching his daughter to drive even though she had no learners permit. Took her to the high school parking lot, she got anxious about something confused the brake and gas, shot thru the parking lot thru an intersection strinking a young women across the street killing her and leaving the infant she was holding motherless. Father was recently found guilty, not sure of the charges though.

[jakebty]

you see...everyone says blame the parents. but what about the teenagers? i am one but i think from just about every point of view. the son knew he shouldn't have been driving without a license. and which mother in their right mind would let their son/daughter drive alone without a license. as far as your story pfdtruck18- the father would have probably got convicted of child neglegence (maybe), letting unlicensed teen drive, i don't know. has anyone ever thought about stupidity being a crime? just wondering