Accused driver cites phone in fatal crash

A Springfield man who hit two pedestrians with his car Thursday evening on River Street near the Ma and Pa’s apartments, killing one immediately, was in court Friday after he turned himself in at the Springfield police station 90 minutes later, explaining he had been distracted by his cellphone.

www.rutlandherald.com

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Police: Suspect in deadly crash distracted by cellphone

Police say the suspect in a deadly pedestrian crash in Springfield was distracted by a buzzing cellphone.

www.wcax.com 

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SPRINGFIELD POLICE DEPARTMENT PRESS RELEASE

MOTOR VEHICLE CRASH
CASE#: 16SF02864
CONTACT#: 802-885-2113
DATE/TIME: June 9, 2016 at 9:55 p.m.
LOCATION: River Street, Springfield, Vermont

VEHICLE #1 OPERATOR: James Ribeiro
AGE: 21
SEAT BELT? Y
CITY, STATE OF RESIDENCE: Springfield, VT

INJURIES Being withheld pending notification of families

HOSPITAL: Springfield Hospital
WEATHER: Clear
ROAD COND: Dry

SUMMARY OF CRASH:

At above date/time, the Springfield Police Department responded to a report of a female down in the roadway.

Investigation revealed a motor vehicle had struck two pedestrians.

The female pedestrian sustained serious injuries and was transported to Springfield Hospital and then airlifted to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center.

The male pedestrian was pronounced deceased on the scene.

Anyone who witnessed or has information pertaining to this incident is asked to contact the Springfield Police Department at 802-885-2113.

Published June 11, 2016 in the Rutland Herald Accused driver cites phone in fatal crash By ERIC FRANCIS WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — A Springfield man who hit two pedestrians with his car Thursday evening on River Street near the Ma and Pa’s apartments, killing one immediately, was in court Friday after he turned himself in at the Springfield police station several hours later, explaining he had been distracted by his cellphone. James Ribeiro, 21, of Springfield, pleaded innocent to two felony counts of leaving the scene of a fatal accident, charges which together carry a maximum potential penalty of up to 30 years in prison if he were convicted. The crash victim was identified as Steven Lapre, 37, and the woman, who was also struck and seriously injured, is Pamela Runnells, 31, also a Springfield resident. Ribeiro was described by police as “distraught” when he showed up in the lobby of the police department about 90 minutes after the crash was first reported to emergency responders around 10 p.m. Thursday night. Acting Sgt. Jeremy Fitzgibbons described Ribeiro as “teared up” when he reportedly confessed to having hit someone in the roadway and then driving home before heading back into town to turn himself in. Ribeiro told police he smoked marijuana after the crash and again before coming to the police station to turn himself in. “He said that he didn’t have a reason why he didn’t stop but that he realized that the police were going to find him so he wanted to do the right thing and came to the Police Department,” Fitzgibbons recalled in an affidavit filed with the court. Ribeiro explained in the minutes before he struck the couple he had been at a McDonald’s restaurant where he’d been texting his girlfriend on his phone while idling in line at the drive-through, “which caused him not to notice when he was supposed to move to the next window,” Fitzgibbons recounted in his report. “(Ribeiro) stated that when he left, he put the phone in his cupholder and was driving along when he heard his phone vibrate. (Ribeiro) stated that he looked down at the phone and when he looked back up it was too late.” Ribeiro estimated he was traveling at the 35 mph speed limit when the collision happened and said it looked like the couple was carrying groceries when he hit them. Ribeiro denied having had anything to drink for a few days, but did confess to having smoked marijuana first thing Thursday morning and to having “smoked marijuana after the crash and before coming to the police department,” Fitzgibbons added. At the crash scene itself, Fitzgibbons wrote, there were tire marks traveling eastbound that crossed the double-yellow center line “directly to where Runnells was sitting” on the pavement when first responders arrived. “The tire marks then appear to cross back over the yellow line, back into the eastbound travel lane, and then cross the center yellow line again to where Lapre came to rest,” suggesting that Lapre was pushed nearly 50 yards from the point of initial impact. Lapre was pronounced dead at the scene. Runnells, who was conscious and complaining of hip and leg pain, was taken to Springfield Hospital and later flown by a medical helicopter to the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H. Officials said Friday her injuries were not believed to be life-threatening. Runnells herself was the driver in a serious head-on collision in December. She was charged with a felony count of grossly negligent operation of a motor vehicle with serious injury resulting because of a crash that also took place on River Street on Dec. 3, which sent a total of six people to area hospitals. At the time, Springfield police said witnesses told them Runnells had passed several cars with her pickup truck, nearly hitting several head-on, before she collided with a larger pickup truck in the opposite lane. Runnells was airlifted by medical helicopter to the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in the wake of that crash too, and court paperwork filed in connection with her criminal case indicates she sustained a “severe traumatic brain” injury in the December crash that has left her with “virtually no short-term memory” capacity, and necessitated the state appointing her a legal guardian because she “is not able to care for herself appropriately and exhibits impulsivity as a result of her cognitive impairment.” Lapre also had an extensive criminal record. Pedestrians hit in Springfield, one killed Posted: Jun 10, 2016 9:30 AM EDT Updated: Jun 10, 2016 9:54 AM EDT By WCAX NewsCONNECT SPRINGFIELD, Vt. - Springfield police say a man is dead and a woman seriously injured after they were hit by a car on River Street. Police say the crash happened just before 10 p.m. Thursday. They say James Ribeiro, 21, of Springfield, hit the man and woman. The man was pronounced dead at the scene. The woman was airlifted to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. Police have not yet released the identities of the victims. So far, there are no charges in the case. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Springfield Police Department at 802-885-2113.