Wednesday, August 17, 2011

** Ohio bus driver given suspended sentence in driving death of paramedic

** Utah man to stand trial in driving death of paramedic

UNITED STATES NEWS

** A Cincinnati school bus driver, who killed a city paramedic when the bus she was driving lurched into an ambulance parked at a local school, has been handed a suspended sentence. WLWT (August 15) said Bridgette Robinson, who pleaded no contest to a charge of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter, was given the news Monday. According to the newspaper, Robinson accidentally ran down medic Sherry Pettit last year as the latter attempted to unload a disabled high school student. Robinson had left the driver’s seat just prior to the bus rolling into the EMS unit. Facing an imprisonment of up to 90 days, she had her licence suspended for two years and is now on probation.

** A Utah judge has ordered an alleged drunk driver to stand trial in the May 2010 death of paramedic Jonathan Bowers, 31. The Salt Lake Tribune (Aaron Falk/August 12) said Gabriel Perez-Gutierrez, 26, will go before the court on tags including automobile homicide, driving under the influence, and fleeing a crash scene. Bowers, who was employed with Gold Cross Ambulance, died after being hit around 6 a.m. by a car driven by Perez-Gutierrez. He was on his way to work at the time. According to the newspaper, police said Perez-Gutierrez was going 75 mph at the time of impact. Bowers’ car both hit another vehicle and became airborne in the crash. Bowers died in hospital seven days later.