BENNINGTON, Vt. (AP) — A Vermont man pleaded guilty Friday to a reduced charge of careless driving resulting in death in June. accident that killed actor Treat Williams.
Ryan Koss, 35, who knew Williams, received a one-year suspended sentence and, as part of his probation, will have his driver's license revoked for one year and will be required to complete a community restorative justice program for offense.
Koss was turning left into a parking lot in a Honda SUV on June 12 when he collided with Williams' oncoming motorcycle in Dorset, police said. Williams, 71, of Manchester Center, who was wearing a helmet, was seriously injured and airlifted to Albany Medical Center in Albany, N.Y., where he was pronounced dead. the police said.
After the accident, Koss called Williams' wife to tell her what had happened, said Bennington County Attorney Erica Marthage, who said Koss took responsibility for the accident from the start. 'accident.
During Friday's emotional hearing, Koss apologized and offered his condolences to Williams' family and fans. The general creative director of the Dorset Theater Festival in Vermont had known Williams for years as a member of a close-knit community, as well as a member of the theater, and considered him a friend.
“I am here to apologize and take responsibility for this tragic accident,” he told the court.
Williams' son Gill, 32, wore his father's jacket and spoke directly to Koss, whom he had met before the accident. The family didn't want to press charges or send Koss to prison, he said.
“I forgive you and I hope you forgive yourself,” he said. But he also added: “I really wish you hadn’t killed my father.” I really had to say it.
Gill Williams said her father was “everything” to their family and an amazing person who lived life to the fullest, and now it's difficult to know how to move forward.
His father had given him the motorcycle the day before the accident, and he was “the safest person in the world,” Gill Williams said.
“It’s very difficult for this to happen because of someone’s negligence,” he said, urging people to take driving much more seriously and be careful around motorcycles. Statements from Williams' wife, Pam, and daughter, who did not attend the hearing, were read aloud.
Pam Williams said in her statement that it was a tragic accident and she hopes Koss can forgive himself.
“Our lives will never be the same, our family has been torn apart and there is a huge void that cannot be filled,” Pam Williams wrote in her statement.
Daughter Ellie Williams wrote in her statement that she was too angry and hurt at the time to forgive Koss, but that she hopes she will in the future.
“I will never feel my father’s embrace again; to be able to get his advice again, introduce him to my future husband, ask him to walk me down the aisle, introduce him to my babies and make him cry when I name my first son after him,” declared a victim's lawyer when reading it. statement.
Koss initially pleaded not guilty to a felony charge of gross negligence resulting in death. Had he been convicted of this charge, he could have been sentenced to up to 15 years in prison.
Richard Treat Williams' nearly 50-year career includes starring roles in the television series “Everwood” and the film “Hair.” He has appeared in more than 120 television and film roles, including the films “The Eagle Has Landed,” “Prince of the City” and “Once Upon a Time in America.”