A Rhode Island judge has made a strong statement in banning Lyle Topa, 17, from driving for life after he crashed his car into a tree on October 23rd, 2011.
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According to ABC 7 the judge’s intent in his sentence was to “send a strong message against” reckless driving by teenagers. During the crash Lyle had three passengers in his car.
None of the passengers died, however, one passenger was stuck in the coma for weeks.
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Chief Magistrate William Guglietta from the Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal spoke on the tough sentence saying:
“If you’re going to drive dangerously in Rhode Island and you’re a young person, this court is going to respond accordingly. The law in this case allows this court to impose that penalty. If they think that more stringent penalties are important for drunk driving, then I’m assuming at some point in time, those issues will be raised with the legislature.”
As part of a plea deal agreement Lyle pleaded guilty to two other charges, which included driving over the speed limit and not wearing a seatbelt.
Considering no one was killed, we’re sure many are skeptical about whether or not a ban from driving for life was a just decision by the judge.
For more detail on the crash, view the accompanying video.
