A man convicted in a crash that killed a Virginia firefighter was sentenced to two years in prison Wednesday.
Hanover County Fire Department Lt. Brad Clark died and two firefighters were injured when a tractor-trailer driven by Lester Labarge hydroplaned and struck an apparatus during Tropical Storm Michael in October 2018. The firefighters were responding to a previous accident involving two other vehicles.
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Labarge, 51, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and reckless driving in September. He received two years for the manslaughter charge, while his sentence for reckless was suspended, WWBT-TV reports.
During Labarge's sentencing hearing, family and friends of Clark gave victim impact statements. Hanover County Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Stephen Royalty urged the judge to hand down a sentence that "greatly exceed(ed)" guidelines, which stipulated a sentence of two years to 11 months.
“Honestly, I didn’t expect him to get a long sentence,” Clark's father, Bob, told WWBT. “I think it will have an effect on other drivers who drive trucks, hopefully, it’s a wake-up call for them. Him serving time in jail doesn’t help our situation a whole lot.”
