A young man received a sentence of two years on probation for a 2011 car accident that injured four people, including the defendant. According to the news story, the driver of the car pleaded no contest in March to two Class I felony counts of reckless driving causing great bodily harm, both of which are punishable by probation, jail time or prison.

Reports indicate the accident occurred in Racine, Wisconsin, near 8:00 p.m. on June 4, 2011. The defendant allegedly collided with a car exiting a restaurant parking lot. Police say he was not legally intoxicated but told officers he’d had “a few” beers.

The criminal complaint stated that two of his passengers that night suffered serious injuries and the female driver of the other car suffered rib and back fractures. She had to be cut from the car. One of the passengers in the defendant’s car told police that he drove through a yellow light right before the accident. The defendant also received injuries in the car accident.

In addition to two years’ probation, the Racine County judge ordered the defendant not to drive without a license and not to consume any controlled substances during his probation. According to the defense attorney, the defendant has matured since the accident and understands the seriousness of what happened that night.

The news story made no mention of the driver being ordered to pay any fines or financial compensation to the people injured in the car accident, but in many instances, this would certainly be an option. This is something the injured parties could pursue by seeking help from a personal injury attorney.

Source: The Journal Times, “Man gets probation in crash case” Kristen Zambo, May. 07, 2014