Warsaw, NY (WBEN) A guilty plea from a man who drove his car into a minivan Memorial Day weekend, killing three people.
21 year old Richard Sawicki pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter and assault in connection with a crash on May 26th.
Prosecutors say Sawicki was allegedly out all night drinking until approximately 2 hours prior to the crash. Sawicki left a residence located on Maxon Road and proceeded to drive his vehicle through the stop sign going 70 mph 3 seconds prior to the intersection of Maxon and Route 20A and 60 mph at the point he collided with a minivan carrying 9 people who were headed west on Route 20A from New Jersey. There were no signs of braking prior to the point of impact. Wyoming County DA Donald O'Geen says the victims had no chance and no warning. The impact of the crash caused the death of three individuals as outlined in the attached charging documents. The crash also seriously injured 4 other occupants of victim's vehicle, one of which is a 4 year old female child who will never fully recover from her severe injuries. The remaining two occupants suffered only minor injuries and have since recovered.
Sentencing has been scheduled for February 6, 2019 at 9:30 a.m. Prosecutors say Judge Mohun has full discretion on sentencing as there have been no promises made to either party as to what the defendant's sentence will be.
"I want to thank the numerous volunteer first responders who endured this crime scene and for their endless work answering the calls each and every time as well as the Wyoming County Sheriff's Office for their outstanding investigation into this matter. I would also like to than the New York State Police and the New York State Park Police for their assistance in this investigation. What must be remember is that an entire family has been devastated by an event that is completely preventable. This case is a message to every person, young or old, that if you drive drunk or drugged this can and will happen to you and not only will you have to live with it the rest of your life you will also lose your freedom for a significant period of time," said District Attorney Donald O'Geen.
