Man with Parkinson’s gets probation for crash that killed 2 other drivers
By Thomas Prohaska, The Buffalo News, N.Y. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
Lederhouse, 61, of
Lederhouse's truck continued forward. It swerved off the road for a moment, but Lederhouse pulled it back onto the pavement just in time to crash into an oncoming car driven by
Zauner's widow,
"That's what I asked for," she said. "I'm sure it was medical ... [Lederhouse] has suffered enough."
Lederhouse's driver's license was suspended by the state
Lederhouse's doctor signed a letter in 2013 stating that it was safe for him to drive again, and the license was restored. Defense attorney
Kloch said, "The real sin, the real error, the real crime here is him being given a license again."
Kloch barred Lederhouse from driving as a condition of probation.
As for suing the doctor who let Lederhouse back on the road, Moxham said, "It's still under consideration. It's doubtful anything will come of it."
"It's not contemplated," said
Assistant District Attorney
In court, she noted that the some of the victims' relatives thought something stronger than probation was required.
Caldwell told Kloch, "I hope you honor the families and
Tests after the wreck, which occurred at about
Lederhouse walked with a shuffling gait and spoke in a slurred voice, which Daniels attributed to the medical conditions.
Lederhouse said, "This is something I have to live with for the rest of my life. I think about it every day ... I never intend to drive again."
Daniels said that besides Parkinson's, Lederhouse suffers from insulin-dependent Type 2 diabetes, cerebrovascular disease and water on the brain.
"They're all documented. They're unchallenged," Daniels said.
He said Lederhouse's blood sugar level was high after the fatal crashes, and the defense attorney said an endocrinologist told him high sugar levels made Lederhouse more vulnerable to ministrokes.
"You lose consciousness for moments and you have no control over what's happening," Daniels said.
"It's clear that old age, health reasons, inferior workings of the mind, caused that tragedy to occur," Kloch said.
The judge noted that Lederhouse lives alone in a remote farmhouse. "If I were mean-spirited, I would wish you a long life alone in that farmhouse, thinking about what happened," Kloch said.
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