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Dec 2, 2008 11:16 pm US/Eastern
Driver In Fatal Limo Crash Will Not Face Charges
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
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She was a daughter, mother, friend and soon-to-be wife, but on the night of her bachelorette party, Sunshine Royston died in a car accident.
CBS
She was a daughter, mother, friend and soon-to-be wife, but on the night of her bachelorette party, Sunshine Royston died in a car accident.
Kelly McPherson explains why the family is outraged.
A young mother is dead and her family is angry at the legal system for not holding accountable the driver who killed her.
The driver who ran into this limousine in September, throwing it on its side and killing the bride-to-be inside, will not face charges.
"He should be charged and made to stand trial for taking the life of a person. I don't know what the punishment should be," said Fred Theiss, Sunshine's grandfather.
The news is not sitting well with Sunshine Royston's family and friends. The 28-year-old mother of three was heading home from her bachelorette party at the Power Plant at 4 a.m. when the tractor trailer hit the limo.
"You don't drive an 18-wheeler in the city, making a left turn into a large car, without being negligent. I don't care what his explanation is, that's wrong," Theiss said.
The State's Attorney's Office considers a list of factors for vehicular manslaughter, including drinking, speeding, force of impact, erratic driving, damage to vehicles and environment of the crash scene.
"After a thorough investigation, our prosecutors, working with automobile reconstruction teams at the police department, determined there just was not enough evidence to proceed with the charge of automobile manslaughter," said Marty Burns, spokesperson for the Baltimore City State's Attorney's Office.
"So you can just be reckless as long as you are sober and drug-free, you can just be reckless and take a life. That's absolutely asinine," Theiss said.
The driver still faces traffic tickets for causing the crash.
"You mean if I went through a red light and got a ticket, then he went through a red light and killed somebody, there's no difference between the two?" Theiss said.
The State's Attorney's Office in Baltimore City expressed its condolences for the family, but the case now goes on to determine which traffic violations the driver will face.
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