A convicted Amtrak bus driver facing DUI charges and multiple civil lawsuits got sentenced several months after causing a DUI crash in the Los Alamos area, California. Updated accident reports confirmed that following a hearing on Wednesday, May 27, 52-year-old Laura Mae Gish, now faces seven-year jail time.
The sentence was in connection with a tragic serious injury crash on January 18, 2019, involving an Amtrak bus conveying about 25 passengers. Court documents suggest Gish was under the influence of the illicit substance methamphetamine when she drove her vehicle off Highway 101 around 5:30 a.m. The 2015 Volvo bus then struck a tree and overturned onto its side.
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Several passengers in the vehicle suffered minor to major injuries, with some resulting in loss of bodily function and severe mental imbalance. According to the court papers, a passenger sustained a broken jaw, and two had spinal fractures. Several others ended up with nose bleeds, cuts, and scratches, accident reports confirmed.
Gish, who initially told officers she used the drugs days before the accident, and later admitted using it the previous night, changed her plea to no contest. She entered an open plea before Judge Patricia Kelly on March 4, guided by her legal representative Matthew Kraut.
The judge, treating the no-contest like a guilty plea for the purpose of sentencing, scheduled her sentence for April 22. The date got postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic until the Wednesday hearing, which occurred via the Zoom platform.
At least 15 people have filed civil lawsuits against Gish and the bus company, Americanstar Tours.
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