Photo: John Paul Filo/CBS via Getty Images
The driver in the Vermont crash that killed Treat Williams accepted a plea deal that will allow him to avoid prison time, WTEN reports. On Friday, 35-year-old Ryan Koss pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of negligent driving with death resulting. According to CNN, a judge ruled that Koss’s sentencing will be deferred for one year. During this probation period, Koss will have his license revoked and be required to go through mental health counseling and a restorative justice program. He previously pleaded not guilty to the original felony charge of gross negligent operation with death resulting, which could have meant up to 15 years in prison. (With the lesser charge, he will only face up to two years in prison if he breaks probation.)
Koss collided with Williams’s motorcycle in Dorset, Vermont in June. Williams was airlifted to a hospital in New York, and ultimately died at 71. Per AP News, Koss had known Williams for years through Vermont’s theater community, and considered him to be a friend. Koss expressed his “sincerest apologies and condolences” to the actor’s family during the Friday hearing. “I’m here to acknowledge that this accident occurred because I made a left turn in front of an oncoming motorcycle that collided with my car,” Koss told the court, “and it was my responsibility to avoid that from happening, and for that I am truly sorry.”
Williams’s son, Gil, attended the hearing and addressed Koss directly. “I do forgive you, and I hope that you forgive yourself, and I don’t want you to go to prison,” Gil said, noting that his family hadn’t pressed charges. Still, he added, “I really wish you hadn’t killed my father. I really had to say that.” Williams’s wife, Pam, was not present. According to Bennington County State’s Attorney Erica Marthage, Koss called Pam after the crash to tell her what happened. In a statement that was read aloud in court, she said she hopes Koss can forgive himself for what she described as a tragic accident.
Jennifer Zhan
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