A Massachusetts judge recently sentenced 18-year-old Aaron Deveau to serve one year of a two-and-a-half year sentence after he was found guilty of causing a fatal automobile crash as a result of his driving and texting at the same time. The judge said he imposed the sentence as a deterrent.
Deterrence “really seems to come to play in this case,’’ said District Court Judge Stephen Abany. “People really want to be safe on the highways.’’ He further added that drivers need to “keep their eyes on the road.’’
Judge Abany also suspended Daveau’s driver’s license for 15 years, as well as ordered him to serve 40 hours of community service.
In February 2011, Deveau, who was 17 at the time, crashed into an oncoming vehicle. A New Hampshire man, Donald Bowley, Jr., 55, was critically injured and died 18 days later. Bowley’s girlfriend survived the crash, but was left with injuries. Prosecutors said that Deveau had sent 193 text messages on the day of the crash, including some about a minute before the crash and dozens more after it.
Devau is one of the first people convicted under a Massachusetts law that went into effect in 2010 which criminalizes texting while driving negligently and causing injury.