Man with Parkinson’s gets probation for crash that killed 2 other drivers

Feb. 05--LOCKPORT -- Frederick J. Lederhouse, the man with Parkinson's disease who killed two other drivers in a crash March 27 in Wilson, was sentenced today to five years on probation and fines and fees totaling $5,520.

Lederhouse of Porter faced as much as eight years in prison for two counts of criminally negligent homicide, but Niagara County prosecutors recommended probation when Lederhouse pleaded guilty Nov. 20.

Lederhouse, 61, was at the wheel of a pickup truck that was traveling 86 mph, according to the onboard black box, when it rear-ended a car driven by Cathy World, 58, of Wilson, on Wilson-Burt Road. The impact rolled World's car into a ditch, and she was killed.

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 Ronald Zauner, 69, of Wilson, who also was killed.

Zauner's widow, Judy Zauner, said she was "very pleased" with the sentence.

"That's what I asked for," she said. "I'm sure it was medical. ... [Lederhouse] has suffered enough."

Assistant District Attorney Claudette S. Caldwell declined comment on the sentence.

In court, she noted that the some of the victims relatives thought something stronger than probation was required.

"I hope you honor the families and Mr. Zauner and Ms. World by making sure Mr. Lederhouse is never able to drive a car again," Caldwell told State Supreme Court Justice Richard C. Kloch Sr.

As a condition of probation, Kloch barred Lederhouse from driving.

Tests after the wreck, which occurred at 4 p.m., showed a high level of the drug Xanax in Lederhouse's bloodstream. He takes the drug to alleviate the shaking associated with Parkinson's disease, according to defense attorney Joel L. Daniels. Lederhouse's driver's license was suspended by the state Department of Motor Vehicles in 2012 after a minor accident. Lederhouse's doctor signed a letter in 2013 stating that it was safe for him to drive again, and his license was restored. It was suspended again after the fatal crash.

"The real sin, the real error, the real crime here is him being given a license again," Kloch said,

Daniels said he didn't know the name of the doctor who signed off on letting Lederhouse drive in the wake of a minor December 2012 accident that caused a license suspension.

Walking with a shuffling gait and speaking in a slurred voice, which Daniels attributed to the medical conditions, Lederhouse said expressed regret for the crash.

"This is something I have to live with for the rest of my life," he said. "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 measured at more than 400 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.

Walter E. Moxham, a Lockport attorney, was with the victims families. He said death settlements already have been paid by Lederhouse's insurance company.

As for suing the doctor who let Lederhouse back on the road?

"It's still under consideration. It's doubtful anything will come of it," Moxham said,

Kloch 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.

email: tprohaska@buffnews.com

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