Court News: Truck driver given payable fines for crash that killed family of five on Rt. 50

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  • (WYE MILLS, MD) – In what may be one of the more incredible decisions by a Maryland prosecutor, the truck driver who police said ignored almost all rules which apply to traffic safety will only be charged with payable fines instead of being charged with manslaughter, which could have led to jail time.

Truck driver given payable fines for crash that killed family of five on Rt. 50

Family of five killed in crash photo courtesy NBC Washington
Family of five killed in crash photo courtesy NBC Washington

(WYE MILLS, MD) – In what may be one of the more incredible decisions by a Maryland prosecutor, the truck driver who police said ignored almost all rules which apply to traffic safety will only be charged with payable fines instead of being charged with manslaughter, which could have led to jail time.

The Maryland State Police report that following a review of the Maryland State Police crash investigation, the Queen Anne’s County State’s Attorney’s Office has issued multiple traffic charges that troopers have filed against the driver of the tractor-trailer involved in the crash one year ago that killed five people.

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Police say the driver, Yvenet Mayette, 29, of Philadelphia, PA.  Mayette met troopers at the Easton Barrack on the morning of February 2, 2016, and was served with a criminal summons.

The eleven charges, issued by Queen Anne’s County State’s Attorney Lance Richardson, are as follows:

  • -failure to stop at a red light, contributing to a fatal crash (Transportation Law Article, Sec. 21-202(h);
  • -failure to control speed to avoid a collision, contributing to a fatal crash (TLA, Sec. 21-801(b);
  • -negligent driving, which contributed to a fatal crash (TLA, Sec. 21-901(1)(b);
  • -reckless driving (TLA, Sec. 21-901(1)(a);
  • -driving a commercial vehicle in a condition likely to cause a crash, which contributed to a fatal crash (Annotated Code of MD, Maryland Rule Article, Sec. 11-396-7);
  • -driving a commercial vehicle with inoperative brakes on a combination vehicle, which contributed to a fatal crash, (ACM, Maryland Rule Article, Sec. 11-393-48);
  • -driving a commercial vehicle with inadequate brake linings, contributing to a fatal crash, (ACM, Maryland Rule Article, Sec. 11-393-47);
  • -driving a commercial vehicle after being on duty for 70 hours in eight consecutive days, contributing to a fatal crash, (ACM, Maryland Rule Article, Sec. 11-395-3(b1);
  • -driver of a commercial vehicle preparing a falsified record of duty status, which contributed to a fatal crash, (ACM, Maryland Rule Article, Sec. 11-395-8(e);
  • -driver of property-carrying vehicle driving after 14 hours of having come on duty without 10 hours off duty, contributing to a fatal crash, (ACM, Maryland Rule Article, Sec. 11-395-3(a2);
  • driver of a property-carrying vehicle driving after having driven 11 hours without 10 hours off duty, contributing to a fatal crash, (ACM, Maryland Rule Article, Sec. 11-395-3(a1).
Queen Anne's County States Attorney Lance Richardson
Queen Anne’s County States Attorney Lance Richardson

The charges resulted from a review of the Maryland State Police Crash Team investigation by the Queen Anne’s County State’s Attorney’s Office.  Crash Team investigators conducted an extensive investigation into the crash, in an attempt to determine the causes and contributing factors.

The crash occurred shortly after 1:00 a.m. on January 10, 2015, at the intersection of Rt. 50 and Rt. 213 in Wye Mills, Md. 

The crash involved a tractor-trailer, operated by Mayette and a 2006 Suzuki Forenza, in which the Ayres family from Greenbush, Va., was traveling.  The tractor-trailer was southbound on Rt. 213 and the passenger vehicle was westbound on Rt. 50.

Family of five killed by reckless truck driver on Rt. 50 at 404 2015
Regina M. Ayres, with one of her children, shown here in a photo from Facebook. Her unborn baby was also killed.

Killed in the crash were: Regina M. Ayres, 24, Zerissa Ayres, 30, and her unborn child, Jordan Ayres, 7, Travis M. Straton, 25, and Jonathan Ayres, two months. 

Mayette was also injured in the crash and taken to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center.

Mayette has the right to stand trial on the charges or to pay pre-set fines for each offense. 

Additional details concerning the investigation cannot be provided at this time, said police, due to the potential of a court trial.  If the driver pays the tickets, Richardson is spared the effort to have to try a case. 

If the driver pays the tickets, Richardson is spared the effort to have to try a case. A States Attorney has the sole discretion to decide whether to try a case unless the Maryland Attorney General decides to intervene.  As campaign donations often are deciding influences in such matters, readers can consult online Maryland election records to determine if there is a money trail from trucking interests for this politician. 

  • (WYE MILLS, MD) – In what may be one of the more incredible decisions by a Maryland prosecutor, the truck driver who police said ignored almost all rules which apply to traffic safety will only be charged with payable fines instead of being charged with manslaughter, which could have led to jail time.

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