Man gets 65 days in jail after runaway dump truck kills 5-year-old boy
HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. -- A man who was charged with misdemeanor death by vehicle after a runaway dump truck killed a 5-year-old boy was sentenced to 65 days in jail, CBS affiliate WNCN reported.
The dump truck, which came down a hill, hit Everett Copeland in late December. Copeland was taken to Duke University Hospital and died.
The 65-day sentence handed to Alejandro Suarez, a 28-year-old undocumented immigrant, includes time served and is ten days fewer than the maximum sentence for the charge. He had entered a plea of “no contest” on Monday and an Orange County, North Carolina judge accepted it.
“We fully understand that no one intended to hurt Everett, including Mr. Suarez,” Copeland’s father said in court. “Everett’s death was preventable. There will always be that ache in our hearts.”
After he is released on February 28, Suarez -- who came from Mexico and has been in the U.S. for 11 years -- will be transferred to federal custody. He had an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer placed on him.
It is unclear if Suarez will be deported following his release from jail.
Authorities said dirt was being loaded into the truck when it “rolled away from its work area.” According to a certified mechanic, the brake had been applied to the truck but the vehicle was left running before it went down the hill.
The district attorney said that workers chased after the truck but were unable to catch up to it before it hit several light poles, then jumped the curb, hit a tree and hit the boy.
District Attorney Jim Woodall said that Suarez stayed on the scene and claimed responsibility, and that he has cooperated since the start of the investigation.
“He acknowledged from the very beginning that he was the driver of the truck, so he was the one responsible for making sure that the truck was properly secured,” Woodall said. “This will affect that family every day for the rest of their lives.”
Attorney Bill Young said Suarez “feels horrible like any human whose massive mistake would have resulted in this type of tragic outcome.”
A number of people, including Suarez, were named as defendants in a lawsuit Copeland’s family filed.
