Police in Burlington have announced that they’ve resolved to press criminal charges against an area motorist after the driver of a moped which she inadvertently struck in mid September passed away at a local trauma center.
The city’s police department issued a news release on Friday to reveal that it had charged 53-year-old Nirabonh Pathoumthong of Burlington with one count of misdemeanor death by vehicle in light of the grim news it had received about the late Joshua Craven.
According to the police department, Pathoumthong had accidentally hit the 45-year-old moped driver while she was making her way down Graham Street at about 5:30 p.m. on September 13.
Pathoumthong was reportedly following Craven when the moped driver came to a stop at the intersection with Delaware Avenue. Craven then signaled his intention to turn left by fully extending his left arm as per the recognized hand signal. According to the police department, Pathoumthong misread the gesture as a signal to pass and ultimately veered her vehicle to the left just as the moped turned in that direction.
Aside from misinterpreting the hand signal, Pathoumthong apparently did nothing that the police department found blameworthy – either during, or immediately after, the accident.
“Pathoumthong remained on-scene and fully cooperated with officers during the investigation,” the department went on to explain in Friday’s news release. “Currently, neither speed nor impairment are believed to be a contributing factor in the crash.”
The department nevertheless acknowledged that it decided to serve Pathoumthong with a criminal summons after the medical examiner’s office had notified its traffic unit about Craven’s death. According to the department, this notice came a day after the moped driver succumbed to his injuries on the night of September 24 at the same hospital where he had been rushed after the collision some 11 days earlier.
In the meantime, the city’s police department is warning other drivers to pay close attention to the two-wheeled conveyances that share the roadways with them.
“The Burlington police department,” would like to remind all drivers to be cognizant of motorcyclists,” the agency states in its news release, “and the hand signals utilized by those operating two-wheeled vehicles, including bicycles and mopeds.”
