Nine years in prison was the Marion County judge’s decision on July 13 for the truck driver who killed a mother and two girls on a highway construction zone crash in Indianapolis.
The truck driver that caused the crash was Bruce Pollard, 58, of Sturgeon, Missouri. The crash happened in July 2019, when Pollard’s semitrailer, traveling at 65 mph, did not begin to slow down, even though construction zone warning signs were stretching for miles until it hit the first few slowly driving vehicles following an Interstate 465 construction zone.
Pollard’s reckless driving took the lives of 29-year-old Alanna Norman Koons from Indianapolis and her daughters June and Ruby. Koons and her daughters were trapped in their car, which burst into flame following the crash. All three burned alive on the spot. The official police report says the truck hit Koon’s car and six more vehicles before coming to a halt.
The official toll, besides the tragedy, is seven people hospitalized with injuries and seven damaged vehicles.
Pollard Pleaded Guilty, but Mentally Ill
During the trial, Pollard pleaded guilty but mentally ill to reckless homicide charges. He did the same plea for other charges following the crash for 11 felonies in total.
Pollard faced three counts of reckless homicide for killing the mother and her two daughters among the 11 felony charges.
Marion Superior Judge Barbara Cook Crawford stated that there existed enough evidence to support Pollard’s mental illness plea. Pollard got nine years in prison, which is the maximum allowed sentence under his plea for mental illness. Judge Crawford added, “He ignored his responsibility… He should not have been on the road,” when she sentenced Pollard.
During the trial, Pollard was caught falsifying a medical record and had lied during pre-employment. He did not disclose that the reason he got fired from his previous job was bad driving.
