Reply #2: Similar case in Pittsburgh Area

[RPM]

Jack M. Smith, a Bethel Park businessman, is going to jail for three to six years for insisting on his right to drive. It took a prison sentence Tuesday from Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey Manning to bring a sensible conclusion to this tragic case.

Two years after rear-ending and killing a pregnant woman and her mother on Route 51 in West Mifflin, and one year after seriously injuring two other drivers, Smith, who has a tendency to black out, was found guilty of two counts of involuntary manslaughter and four counts of reckless endangerment.

He was lucky that he wasn't found guilty of the most serious charges against him -- homicide by vehicle. Because he was unconscious when he plowed into the car containing Sherri Ann Zeis and Patricia Schick, it wasn't possible for Judge Manning to convict him of bad intentions in his nonjury trial.

Despite overwhelming evidence that his driving was a danger to the community, Smith considered it too much of an inconvenience to remove himself from the road. He was able to find doctors who didn't question his driving ability, despite his recurring bouts of unconsciousness.

Full article at:

http://www.post-gazette.com/forum/20030905edsmith0905p3.asp