Driver sentenced in 2015 crash
A Fayette County man was sentenced Tuesday to a total of four years of court-ordered supervision after pleading guilty to charges stemming from his involvement in an accident that badly injured a young woman three years ago in Beallsville.
Bruce W. Mayer Jr., 30, of Perryopolis, Fayette County, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of simple assault and reckless endangerment, plus a series of traffic offenses in a plea deal with prosecutors.
State police said in court papers Mayer was driving a truck laden with drywall east on Route 40 when he failed to stop for a red light at the intersection with Maiden Street on the night of Feb. 13, 2015. Police said he was traveling at 28 mph when his truck hit a station wagon driven by Danielle Salva, who had a green light as she crossed Route 40 going north.
Washington County Judge Gary Gilman imposed a sentence of two years of intermediate punishment, followed by two years of probation. Gilman ordered Mayer to spend the first 90 days of the intermediate punishment on house arrest.
State police inspected the truck Mayer had been driving and allegedly found “serious deficiencies” in the braking system. They also said Mayer had failed to keep the truck in a low enough gear to maintain a speed of less than 20 mph. A manager with Interstate Contractor Supply, the company Mayer was working for at the time, told a trooper he’d received no request for service on the truck.
Charges were filed two years after the accident.
Salva, of Fredericktown, was 25 at the time of the crash. She reportedly suffered a moderate traumatic brain injury and other injuries, including bone fractures and a kidney laceration. The wounds caused “permanent impairments with residual chronic pain, impaired cognition, fatigue, insomnia, impaired balance, reduced vision and difficult everyday living,” according to court papers.
Salva didn’t attend Tuesday’s proceeding, but an attorney representing her was present and read a letter from another lawyer written on Salva’s behalf.
Mayer declined comment at the end of the proceeding. His attorney, Jacob Wyland, said he was “satisfied with the final resolution of this case.”
“My client has expressed great remorse and contrition regarding the injuries that the victim suffered,” Wyland added. “I know it pales in comparison to what she will carry going forward, but it is certainly something that has greatly affected him.”
Assistant District Attorney John Paul Lewis told Gilman during the hearing the deal was “the product of extensive negotiations between my office and Mr. Wyland.”
As part of the agreement, prosecutors added the misdemeanor charges and dropped a felony charge of aggravated assault by motor vehicle state police originally filed.
Mayer agreed to surrender his commercial driver’s license privileges. Gilman also ordered him to pay more than $17,600 in restitution to Salva.