Driving is a privilege that should be taken very seriously. When behind the wheel of a vehicle, every decision that a driver makes during every second has a direct effect on those with whom they share the road.

That reality often makes for a nightmare on the country's roadways, as one Texas trucker's story exemplifies. As the result of a June truck accident he caused out of state last year, the 33-year-old driver has been convicted of a misdemeanor.

A misdemeanor might not sound like much of a harsh consequence in this case. The multi-vehicle wreck did, in fact, take the lives of two unsuspecting drivers and injure various others.

In some cases like this, the responsible driver would be charged with and convicted of manslaughter. The prosecutor in this case, however, claims that no criminal negligence could be identified. The incident was an incredibly unfortunate case of a driver being careless in a fashion that so many others are when driving every day. He was not drunk or speeding; he simply took his eyes off the road for too many seconds.

The truck driver pleaded no contest to carelessly operating a vehicle involved in an accident and will serve two years of probation - no jail time. He is no longer a truck driver, which provides some sense of relief for the public.

For those who believe that the outcome of the criminal case against this driver ended with too much leniency for the defendant, they should know that the driver and his employer face more possible punishment in the future. Various parties are suing him in civil court over personal injuries or the wrongful death of a loved one.

When there are more developments regarding those civil cases, we will post an update.

Source

Stltoday.com: "Trucker gets probation for deaths of two near Herculaneum," Leah Thorsen, 9 Jun. 2011