Maryland man, 46, gets PROBATION after he killed a father and his four daughters when his SUV crossed a median and slammed into their minivan
www.dailymail.co.uk
Alvin Hubbard III (pictured) has been sentenced to one year of probation for killing a father and four daughters in a car crash
A Maryland man who last year drove his heavy pickup truck across a median on a Delaware highway , causing a horrific crash that killed five members of a Teaneck family, was sentenced Friday to one year of probation.
The incident took the lives of 61-year-old Audie Trinidad and his daughters, Kaitlyn, 20, Danna, 17, and twins Allison and Melissa, 13.
If Alvin Hubbard III does not satisfy the terms of that probation, he could face 14 years in prison.
Judge Calvin L. Scott Jr. determined the sentence despite tearful pleas from Mary Rose Ballocanag, the widow and mother who was also seriously injured in the crash, and about 18 of the Trinidads' friends and family.
Ballocanag asked the judge to impose the 14-year maximum prison sentence allowed by law. Prosecutors had asked the judge to sentence Hubbard to one year in prison.
“His one life will never be enough for the five people he killed,” Ballocanag said.
Hubbard wept intermittently during the sentencing hearing. When given a chance to speak, he tearfully declined.
The driver of the Ford F-350 Alvin Hubbard III, of East New Market, Maryland, that crossed the median of Del. 1 last July causing a multi-vehicle wreck that killed five members of the Trinidad family from New Jersey plead guilty on Wednesday at the New Castle County Courthouse. The head-on collision killed a father and his four daughters and injured the mother, Audie Trinidad, Kaitlyn, 20; Danna, 17; and twins Allison and Melissa, 13). Wife Mary Rose Ballocanag is still recovering. (Photo: Jennifer Corbett, The News Journal)
In early July 2018, Hubbard, a welder, was driving south with a co-worker on Delaware Route 1, the state's primary north-south expressway in a Ford F-350 following a day at work when his truck, owned by his employer Aledak Metalworks, drifted left out of the left lane. Hubbard corrected. Shortly after, the truck veered left again, but this time crossed the median and entered into the northbound lanes.
At that moment, the Trinidad family was returning home in their minivan from a vacation in Ocean City, Maryland.
Hubbard first struck a sedan driven by Brian Kern in the northbound lanes, injuring the man. Then, the truck collided with the Trinidads' minivan.
The Trinidad family (pictured) were returning from a vacation in Ocean City, Maryland, when Hubbard slammed into their minivan
Pictured: the four Trinidad daughters from Teaneck, New Jersey, who were killed on July 6, 2018 in a car crash
Pictured: photos from the crash scene show the totaled remains of the Trinidad's minivan after the crash
Long recovery
On Friday, Ballocanag, approached a lectern to address the court.
At first, she couldn't muster her words, only weeping softly, before saying, "sorry."
She then described for the court the injuries she suffered and treatments she endured following the crash. Her eight surgeries haven't been enough to bring back full use of her legs and arms, she said.
Never again will she be able to work as a nurse, Ballocanag said.
“But my physical pain is nothing compared to the mental pain and anguish of losing my entire family."
Father, immigrant, veteran: Teaneck man killed in Delaware crash had an American story
Gone too soon: Sisters killed in Delaware crash were committed to making world a better place
As she finished, Ballocanag turned toward Hubbard and revealed a photo of her four daughters and husband.
“I want you to look at their faces,” she said to a tearful Hubbard. “So when you look at your children, you will see the pieces of my children and my husband.”
Guilty plea
Hubbard wasn't immediately charged following the 2018 crash. At the time, Delaware State police said the investigation could take months, rankling relatives and friends of the Trinidads.
"Hopefully we can put this behind us. And hopefully, he gets the maximum because right now I can’t find it in my heart for any forgiveness," Daniel Trinidad, Audie's brother, said in the weeks after the crash.
Hubbard was indicted in November 2018 on five counts of second-degree vehicular homicide and three counts of vehicular assault. He also faced charges of inattentive driving, driving across a median and failing to obey traffic devices. He originally pleaded not guilty.
The state came back with lesser charges. Five counts of operating a vehicle causing death, as well as one count each for second-degree and third-degree vehicular assault. Hubbard pleaded guilty to those charges.
At a hearing in June, he spoke in single-word "yes" or "no" answers, while admitting culpability for the five deaths and three injuries. In addition to Ballocanag, Kern and Hubbard's passenger also were injured.
He admitted his lack of attention and negligent driving caused the deaths and injuries. He never explained why he was distracted.
Hubbard's attorney, John Kirk, on Friday pointed to a respiratory condition, called cough syncope. While he was driving, Kirk said, Hubbard began to cough. It caused him to stray, initially, from the lane, he said. But the cough became more violent, causing him to pass out, Kirk said.
"Many lives were ruined that day, including his,” Kirk said.
Ballocanag appeared doubtful that a coughing fit could have caused the crash that took her family.
Diane Lucianna, an attorney acting as her spokeswoman, said after the hearing that claims of respiratory problems "may be self-serving." Lucianna said Hubbard had not been given any such medical diagnosis directly after the crash.
Kirk said that a doctor had later diagnosed him with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, also known as COPD. He stated emphatically that Hubbard had not fallen asleep at the wheel.
Yet, prosecutors told the judge that Hubbard had only slept four or five hours the previous night, before working a full day.
When asked, they said the state had not found evidence of "intentional or reckless conduct."
Also drawing criticism following the crash was the Delaware Department of Transportation for not having installed a guard rail along that section of Delaware Route 1.
Lucianna said Ballocanag had considered suing the state, "but it's right in Delaware statute, you can't sue for guard rails or lack of."
She said that the insurance company for Aledak Metalworks had reached a confidential settlement with Ballocanag.
"It's the end of the road legally for this case," Lucianna said.
- Alvin Hubbard III, 46, was sentenced on Friday to one year of probation after pleading guilty to operating a vehicle causing death and vehicular assault
- The judge said if Hubbard does not satisfy the terms of probation he will face 14 years in prison
- In 2018, Hubbard was driving a SUV when he crossed the median and crashed into a minivan containing the Trinidad family
- The father and four daughters died from the horrific crash while the mother suffered non-life threatening injuries
- The Trinidad family was on the way home to Teaneck, New Jersey from a family vacation in Ocean City, Maryland
Man gets probation for crash that killed 5 members of Teaneck family
The entirety of the incident lasted a few seconds, but it took the lives 61-year-old Audie Trinidad and his daughters, Kaitlyn, 20, Danna, 17, and twins Allison and Melissa, 13.
www.northjersey.com
Man gets PROBATION after he killed a family in a car crash
Alvin Hubbard III, 46, of Cambridge, Maryland, was sentenced to one year of probation after he killed a father and his four daughters when his SUV slammed into a family's minivan in 2018
Alvin Hubbard III (pictured) has been sentenced to one year of probation for killing a father and four daughters in a car crash
A Maryland man who last year drove his heavy pickup truck across a median on a Delaware highway , causing a horrific crash that killed five members of a Teaneck family, was sentenced Friday to one year of probation.
The incident took the lives of 61-year-old Audie Trinidad and his daughters, Kaitlyn, 20, Danna, 17, and twins Allison and Melissa, 13.
If Alvin Hubbard III does not satisfy the terms of that probation, he could face 14 years in prison.
Judge Calvin L. Scott Jr. determined the sentence despite tearful pleas from Mary Rose Ballocanag, the widow and mother who was also seriously injured in the crash, and about 18 of the Trinidads' friends and family.
Ballocanag asked the judge to impose the 14-year maximum prison sentence allowed by law. Prosecutors had asked the judge to sentence Hubbard to one year in prison.
“His one life will never be enough for the five people he killed,” Ballocanag said.
Hubbard wept intermittently during the sentencing hearing. When given a chance to speak, he tearfully declined.
The driver of the Ford F-350 Alvin Hubbard III, of East New Market, Maryland, that crossed the median of Del. 1 last July causing a multi-vehicle wreck that killed five members of the Trinidad family from New Jersey plead guilty on Wednesday at the New Castle County Courthouse. The head-on collision killed a father and his four daughters and injured the mother, Audie Trinidad, Kaitlyn, 20; Danna, 17; and twins Allison and Melissa, 13). Wife Mary Rose Ballocanag is still recovering. (Photo: Jennifer Corbett, The News Journal)
In early July 2018, Hubbard, a welder, was driving south with a co-worker on Delaware Route 1, the state's primary north-south expressway in a Ford F-350 following a day at work when his truck, owned by his employer Aledak Metalworks, drifted left out of the left lane. Hubbard corrected. Shortly after, the truck veered left again, but this time crossed the median and entered into the northbound lanes.
At that moment, the Trinidad family was returning home in their minivan from a vacation in Ocean City, Maryland.
Hubbard first struck a sedan driven by Brian Kern in the northbound lanes, injuring the man. Then, the truck collided with the Trinidads' minivan.
The Trinidad family (pictured) were returning from a vacation in Ocean City, Maryland, when Hubbard slammed into their minivan
Pictured: the four Trinidad daughters from Teaneck, New Jersey, who were killed on July 6, 2018 in a car crash
Pictured: photos from the crash scene show the totaled remains of the Trinidad's minivan after the crash
Long recovery
On Friday, Ballocanag, approached a lectern to address the court.
At first, she couldn't muster her words, only weeping softly, before saying, "sorry."
She then described for the court the injuries she suffered and treatments she endured following the crash. Her eight surgeries haven't been enough to bring back full use of her legs and arms, she said.
Never again will she be able to work as a nurse, Ballocanag said.
“But my physical pain is nothing compared to the mental pain and anguish of losing my entire family."
Father, immigrant, veteran: Teaneck man killed in Delaware crash had an American story
Gone too soon: Sisters killed in Delaware crash were committed to making world a better place
As she finished, Ballocanag turned toward Hubbard and revealed a photo of her four daughters and husband.
“I want you to look at their faces,” she said to a tearful Hubbard. “So when you look at your children, you will see the pieces of my children and my husband.”
Guilty plea
Hubbard wasn't immediately charged following the 2018 crash. At the time, Delaware State police said the investigation could take months, rankling relatives and friends of the Trinidads.
"Hopefully we can put this behind us. And hopefully, he gets the maximum because right now I can’t find it in my heart for any forgiveness," Daniel Trinidad, Audie's brother, said in the weeks after the crash.
Hubbard was indicted in November 2018 on five counts of second-degree vehicular homicide and three counts of vehicular assault. He also faced charges of inattentive driving, driving across a median and failing to obey traffic devices. He originally pleaded not guilty.
The state came back with lesser charges. Five counts of operating a vehicle causing death, as well as one count each for second-degree and third-degree vehicular assault. Hubbard pleaded guilty to those charges.
At a hearing in June, he spoke in single-word "yes" or "no" answers, while admitting culpability for the five deaths and three injuries. In addition to Ballocanag, Kern and Hubbard's passenger also were injured.
He admitted his lack of attention and negligent driving caused the deaths and injuries. He never explained why he was distracted.
Hubbard's attorney, John Kirk, on Friday pointed to a respiratory condition, called cough syncope. While he was driving, Kirk said, Hubbard began to cough. It caused him to stray, initially, from the lane, he said. But the cough became more violent, causing him to pass out, Kirk said.
"Many lives were ruined that day, including his,” Kirk said.
Ballocanag appeared doubtful that a coughing fit could have caused the crash that took her family.
Diane Lucianna, an attorney acting as her spokeswoman, said after the hearing that claims of respiratory problems "may be self-serving." Lucianna said Hubbard had not been given any such medical diagnosis directly after the crash.
Kirk said that a doctor had later diagnosed him with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, also known as COPD. He stated emphatically that Hubbard had not fallen asleep at the wheel.
Yet, prosecutors told the judge that Hubbard had only slept four or five hours the previous night, before working a full day.
When asked, they said the state had not found evidence of "intentional or reckless conduct."
Also drawing criticism following the crash was the Delaware Department of Transportation for not having installed a guard rail along that section of Delaware Route 1.
Lucianna said Ballocanag had considered suing the state, "but it's right in Delaware statute, you can't sue for guard rails or lack of."
She said that the insurance company for Aledak Metalworks had reached a confidential settlement with Ballocanag.
"It's the end of the road legally for this case," Lucianna said.
