Driver In Rt. 4 Crash That Killed Pregnant Woman Won't Face Charges
Sullynette Sanchez's fiance – father of Sully's baby, who was delivered after the accident then died a few days later – is asking why.
This story was updated at 6:30 p.m.
The driver in the fatal Route 4 crash last September that killed Sullynette Sanchez, 23, will not face criminal charges, according to the lawyer for Sanchez's fiance. Sanchez was 8 months pregnant at the time of the accident; the baby was delivered by C-section, but died two weeks later.
"He’s been given traffic tickets, basically," said Joseph Ballirano, lawyer for Stephen Bustamante, Sanchez's fiance, and Sanchez's parents. Ballirano said the driver, Benjamin Servideo, 24, of Newport, was cited for conditions requiring reduced speed, failing to maintain control of his car, and not keeping the proper amount of space between vehicles.
"The police believe the motorist was going 58 [mph] at the time of the collision," Ballirano said. He confirmed that the police report said Servideo had been reaching for his wallet at the time of the crash. "The family was hoping that the police would consider that the actions of the driver were recklessly indifferent."
The Rhode Island State Police released a statement at 5 p.m. Tuesday, which included this exerpt:
"The State Police Accident Reconstruction Unit conducted an extensive and thorough investigation to determine the cause of the crash. Through numerous investigative techniques they found that narcotics and/or alcohol were not factors in the crash. With the assistance of the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office, it was determined that the crash did not rise to the level of criminal recklessness, and therefore, no criminal charges will be brought against the operator at this time.
“Colonel Steven G. O’Donnell stated, 'Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim’s family. We recognize that this is not the outcome they may have expected, but the evidence gathered through several investigative techniques did not rise to the level of probable cause to move forward with a prosecution.'”
"He took everything from me and he’ll just get a traffic ticket. He killed two people," said Bustamante, who said Servideo had not reached out to him or Sanchez's parents. "They say he was trying to get his wallet. Is a wallet that important?"
Here are earlier stories about the accident:
Pregnant Woman Killed In Route 4 Crash
Driver In Fatal Route 4 Accident May Have Been Distracted
Baby Delivered After Crash Survives
Fundraisers Spring Up For Baby Of Crash Victim Sully Sanchez
EG826
4:45 pm on Tuesday, February 5, 2013
I see a frightening amount of people doing other things and being totally distracted while driving and they forget - or disregard - that it takes only a split second of their carelessness to take a life. I'm not sure I even believe this man was reaching for his wallet and not a cell phone (why would you suddenly need your wallet when driving on the highway??) but it's certainly not for me to speculate. I feel terrible for this poor young woman, her baby, and her surviving family. I hope this will be reminder to all to take driving more seriously!
Mike
6:28 pm on Tuesday, February 5, 2013
I was in a similar accident around 6 years ago on 95S in Warwick when a drunk driver came up from behind at 95mph, rear ended my Jeep and was fortunate; drunk and everyone in my car was not hurt. I have never heard if the young women in this accident was wearing a seat belt and was always curious as the accident was somewhat similar to mine(being hit from behind) yet the consequences were so different. Not that it helps anyone but in following this and reading all the stories no mention was ever made and I keep thinking about this point. Anyone know?
Stephen Greenwell
6:00 am on Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Hi Mike - Per The NorthEast Independent, the initial police report said she was wearing a seatbelt: http://www.independentri.com/news/east_greenwich/article_36228232-0e38-11e2-916d-001a4bcf887a.html
Alicarn
11:00 am on Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Don't we have distracted driver laws on the books?
Reaching for his wallet at 58 miles per hour while tailgating someone is the same as talking on the phone. He should have some criminal charges, it's one thing to go through a red light or stop sign while being distracted, killing 2 people should have brought it to a criminal offense.
Will Stevens
11:25 pm on Monday, February 18, 2013
I feel sorry for EVERYONE involved. Though I dont know this person, it drives me crazy that there are people out there getting on the driver's case as well as the police's (maybe not on this site, but indeed others) saying that the driver should have criminal charges placed on him because he was distracted or that the police aren't doing enough digging to find something to charge the driver with. The police do their job quite well and if there was in fact something substantial going on in the drivers car I'm sure they would have noticed. Read around... you can see that the police subpoenaed his cell phone records and could see when calls were made and that during the accident, it was not a cell phone that was the cause.
You can also see that from pulling the records from both car's onboard computers, the first car quickly slowed from 58 to 28 mph on a high way before being struck by the second car traveling at 59 mph. Unfortunate as it is that the woman and her child did not make it in the end, it is impossible to say what was going on in her car. If there is a single person out there who can honestly say and prove they have never for 1.7 second period of time, looked away from the road please come forward. Accidents happen every day, theres no reason for a young mans life to be ruined for something every driver on the road does. Find closure/pleasure in places other than talking about ruining another family's life.
irvin
10:23 pm on Monday, February 25, 2013
I believe he should be charged with something! Son of a bitch killed my aunt and my nephew!