Martin Burt Kuehl, the 42-year-old Costa Mesa driver who fatally struck 32-year-old Martha Ovalle as she was crossing a street on August 29, 2008, has been sentenced to four years in prison. As our Orange County, California personal injury lawyers reported in an earlier blog post, Kuehl, who prosecutors say was texting while driving when the Newport Beach pedestrian accident happened, was convicted of one felony count of vehicular manslaughter.
Ovalle, who was a nanny, was crossing the street at the intersection of Buckingham Lane and Westcliff Drive when she was struck by Kuehl's SUV. She was thrown some 72 feet and died from blunt force injuries. She was pronounced dead at the Newport Beach car accident site.
Kuehl was reportedly driving at a speed of 35 mph. While his criminal defense attorney maintained that there was no evidence that Kuehl was texting right before the Newport Beach traffic accident happened, prosecutors maintain that he had a clear view of the crosswalk and enough time to notice Ovalle if only he had been looking up. Kuehl's cell phone records indicate that he sent and received texts right before 911 started receiving phone calls about the catastrophic pedestrian accident.
Kuehl, who has served time in prison before for theft crimes, pleaded with the judge not to send him back behind bars.
Orange County, California Traffic Accidents
Ovalle is just one of many people whose lives have been lost because a motorist was talking on the phone or texting while driving. While many people don't fully comprehend that these two seemingly harmless activities can prove fatal, the injury and death figures from distracted driving are indisputable. Motorists who are involved in an Orange County, California car crash because they were distracted in some way are engaging in negligent driving and they can be held responsible in criminal court and in civil court.
Man gets 4 yrs. for deadly texting accident, ABC 7, April 9, 2010
Texting driver gets four years in prison, OCLNN, April 9, 2010
Related Web Resources:
Orange County, California Distracted Driving Accident: Costa Mesa Driver Found Guilty in 2008 Newport Beach Car Crash that Killed Nanny, California Injury Lawyers, February 19, 2010
Distracted Driving, Distraction.gov
