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Driver In Horrific Fatal Bus Crash Not Guilty Of Manslaughter
By
Garth Johnston
Published Dec 7, 2012
Modified Dec 7, 2012
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By
Garth Johnston
Published Dec 7, 2012
Modified Dec 7, 2012
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Ophadell Williams, the driver who was so tired after not sleeping for 72 hours that he crashed his tour bus and killed 15, was found not guilty on all felony charges by a jury this morning.
Earlier this year a 15-month-long investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) concluded that the tragic March 2011 accident was directly related to Williams's chronic lack of sleep. But Williams's peers on the jury, it seems, weren't interested in that. This morning, after nearly two weeks of deliberations, a the Bronx jury acquitted Williams of 53 or the 54 charges he was facing. The only thing he was found guilty of was aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, a misdemeanor. According to the Times:
Mr. Williams, 41, showed visible relief as the verdict was being announced in the courtroom, at times wiping his eyes and putting his face in his hands. He has been in prison since September 2011 after he was unable to post a $250,000 bail — including Thursday night after the jury reached a verdict but the judge overseeing the case said there was no time to announce it.
After the accident other drivers recalled seeing Williams's bus swerving and moving erratically as well as going up to 78 m.p.h. in a 50 m.p.h. zone. Here is how the NTSB believes the crash went down:
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orphadell Williams
Garth Johnston
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