A Washington County man was sentenced to 3-1/2 years in prison for causing a fatal motor vehicle accident in Delaware County while he was texting and driving. Because he caused this fatal accident through distracted driving, Delaware County Judge Duncan Whitney sentenced Derek Vanhorn to prison following Vanhorn’s conviction of aggravated vehicular homicide.
Vanhorn was texting his girlfriend when he drove left of center on Route 42 on August 10, 2011. His vehicle collided head on with a car driven by a 55-year-old Centerburg, Ohio man named Paul Raimonde. Mr. Raimonde died instantly of injuries sustained in the accident.
“Unfortunately, this case is just one of many nationwide that exemplify the deadly consequences of distracted driving,” said Prosecutor Carol O’Brien.
On June 1, 2012, Governor Kasich signed into law a bill that puts significant restrictions on distracted driving. The law, which takes effect on August 29, 2012, prohibits driving while using handheld devices, including cell phones, for anyone under the age of 18.
For more information, contact the Ohio cell phone accident lawyers at Clark, Perdue & List.
Source: The Columbus Dispatch, “Man sentenced to prison in texting while driving death,” Randy Ludlow, June 12, 2012.