Bucks man pleads guilty to accident killing bicyclist

By Joseph A. Slobodzian, Inquirer Staff Writer
Posted: July 13, 2012

A Bucks County man pleaded guilty Thursday to striking and killing a Kensington bicyclist last fall while driving under the influence of drugs and was sentenced to the maximum five- to 10-year prison term

Brett Truskin, 23, of Ivyland, pleaded guilty before Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Judge Benjamin Lerner to homicide by motor vehicle while intoxicated and several related charges. The Nov. 18 crash killed Gregory Loper, 49, a father of nine children.

As part of the plea agreement, Truskin was immediately sentenced by Lerner to the maximum prison term under state law, Assistant District Attorney John Doyle said.

Doyle said the victim's family attended the sentencing hearing but did not make a victim-impact statement to the judge.

Truskin has been in custody since he was arrested on Nov. 18 after his 2011 Toyota RAV4, going east in the 1900 block of East Lehigh Avenue, struck Loper head-on and hit four parked cars and one car occupied by another motorist. The other motorist suffered minor injuries, and Truskin pleaded guilty to simple assault in the case.

Hours before the fatal crash, Truskin had been arrested for another crash involving driving under the influence - a three-car pileup that he caused on I-95. He had been released without having to post bail.

Defense attorney Richard Q. Hark said Truskin was addicted to heroin and was using the drug before the fatal accident.

"He's very remorseful and he apologized to the victim's family," Hark said. "That's why he agreed to plead guilty and receive the maximum sentence."

Contact Joseph A. Slobodzian at 215-854-2985, jslobodzian@phillynews.com, or @joeslobo on Twitter.

Index by Keyword
|
Index by Date
|
About Philly.com
|
Contact Us
|
Terms of Use & Privacy Statement
|
Copyright 2013