Thread: Sentencing Delayed For Trucker In Crash That Killed N.C. Fam

http://www.wral.com/apncnews/5419935/detail.html

BUTLER, Pa. -- The sentencing of a Bosnian truck driver who caused a fiery 2003 wreck that killed a vacationing North Carolina family was postponed Monday after a translator called in sick.

Ejub Grcic, 57, pleaded guilty in September to five counts of involuntary manslaughter in a plea agreement that allowed him to avoid deportation. Grcic also pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful activities for driving a commercial vehicle while unable to speak English.

He was scheduled to be sentenced Monday afternoon in Butler County court. But the hearing had to be delayed when court officials couldn't find anyone who spoke Croatian Bosnian. Officials were trying to reschedule the hearing for Tuesday.

State police said Grcic's 16-ton tractor-trailer was too heavy for the road's 10-ton limit when he ran a stop sign and crashed into a car July 7, 2003, at an intersection in Slippery Rock Township, about 45 miles north of Pittsburgh.

The crash killed Kenneth E. Kerr Jr., 35; his wife, Janet, 35; their two children, Kenneth Kerr III and Kathleen Kerr; and Janet Kerr's daughter from a previous marriage, Alessandra Hall. The Kerrs were from Wilson's Mills, N.C.

Grcic, who now lives in West Valley, Utah, was originally charged with five counts of vehicular homicide and had likely faced deportation if he had been convicted of those more serious charges, his attorney said.

http://www.wral.com/apncnews/5427866/detail.html

Trucker That Killed Family In Crash Sentenced To 15-30 Months

POSTED: 2:37 pm EST November 29, 2005
UPDATED: 2:37 pm EST November 29, 2005

BUTLER, Pa. -- A truck driver who caused a fiery 2003 wreck that killed a vacationing North Carolina family of five was sentenced to 15 months to 2 1/2 years in prison.

Ejub Grcic, 57, pleaded guilty in September to five counts of involuntary manslaughter in a plea agreement that allowed him to avoid deportation to his native Bosnia. Grcic also pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful activities for driving a commercial vehicle while unable to speak English.

Judge George Hancher said Tuesday that he balanced the horrendous effect on the victims' family with Grcic's remorse and his background of having fled war-torn Bosnia. The sentence was at the low end of the standard range of state sentencing guidelines.

State police said Grcic's 16-ton tractor-trailer was too heavy for the road's 10-ton limit when he ran a stop sign and crashed into a car July 7, 2003, at an intersection in Slippery Rock Township, about 45 miles north of Pittsburgh.

The crash killed Kenneth E. Kerr Jr., 35; his wife, Janet, 35; their two children, Kenneth Kerr III and Kathleen Kerr; and Janet Kerr's daughter from a previous marriage, Alessandra Hall. The Kerrs were from Wilson's Mills, N.C.

Kenneth Kerr's mother, Cathy Kerr, said the crash continues to haunt her.

"Out on the open highway, all intersections are frightening and under the big trucks, I can always see a Dodge Neon with a family of five underneath," she said.

Grcic's bond was revoked and he was led from the courtroom in handcuffs to begin serving his sentence. He was given credit for about one month he spent in jail after his arrest, but not for the time he spent on house arrest since August 2003.

In this case, each of these five lives turnes out to be worth between 3-6 months in prison.