(WWJ) — A Commerce Township man could spend up to a year behind bars for causing a deadly crash this summer.
Khim Lal Ghimire turned himself in on Friday to be arraigned on a misdemeanor charge of moving violation causing death in connection with a June 16 crash in Commerce Township that killed a man on a motorcycle and injured his wife.
The crash happened around 9:15 p.m. that Sunday in the area of Wixom Road and Stratford Villa Way in Commerce, according to the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office.
The prosecutor’s office says 40-year-old Joshua Moomaw was stopped on a 2006 Harley-Davidson motorcycle with his 41-year-old wife, waiting to turn left from Wixom onto Stratford Villa.
As they were waiting to turn, Ghimire was driving a 2019 Toyota Sienna north on Wixom in their direction. Ghimire allegedly “failed to observe” the stopped bike and hit it from behind.
Moomaw was rushed to the hospital, where he died a week later. His wife was also hospitalized for her injuries and later released. The prosecutor’s office says neither person was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.
Ghimire was wearing a seat belt and was not injured.
Authorities say neither drugs nor alcohol were factors in the incident which was investigated by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit. Prosecutors did not say whether distracted driving played a role in the crash.
Ghimire’s bond was set at $2,000. If convicted, he could spend up to a year in jail and/or be ordered to pay a $2,000 fine. His next court date is scheduled for Oct. 16.
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