Crime & Safety
Trucker Found Guilty in Fatal I-78 Accident
Richard Pedota was charged with involuntary manslaughter and vehicular homicide in the 2010 accident that killed fellow truck driver Mario Chacon.
A Northampton County judge has found truck driver Richard Pedota guilty of involuntary manslaughter and vehicular homicide in the 2010 death of Palmer Township truck driver Mario Chacon on a section of I-78 in Lower Saucon Township, the Express-Times is reporting.
According to an article published Wednesday, Judge Leonard Zito has issued a ruling that finds Pedota guilty based upon evidence that he fell asleep at the wheel of his rig, thus triggering the crash that claimed Chacon's life.
During a non-jury trial last week, Pedota's lawyer had argued that his client could have passed out at the wheel as a result of a medical condition, the article indicates.
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