Manslaughter charges have been dropped against an East Otto, New York driver who caused a fatal crash that killed his mother. He was sentenced Monday in Cattaraugus County Court to five years’ probation for attempted first-degree reckless endangerment, a class E felony. He had faced several counts of manslaughter for the Jan. 26, 2017 accident at the intersection of Bowen and East Otto-Springville Roads in East Otto.
According to the Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Office, he was under the influence of a narcotic, driving at a high rate of speed in slippery conditions and was distracted by a cell phone when he failed to stop at a stop sign and struck a tractor-trailer. His mother, who was a passenger in the vehicle, died as a result of the crash.
He was originally charged with second-degree manslaughter and second-degree vehicular manslaughter, both class D felonies; fourth-degree criminal mischief, a class A misdemeanor; and driving while ability impaired by drugs, reckless driving and failure to stop at a stop sign.
If he had been convicted of second-degree manslaughter, he could have been sentenced to 15 years in state prison. The second-degree vehicular manslaughter would have carried a maximum sentence of seven years in state prison.