Colorado Lawmaker Pleads No Contest In Texas Crash
AMARILLO, Texas (AP) - A Colorado state senator involved in a crash that killed a woman in the Texas Panhandle pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of driving on the wrong side of the road and paid a $200 fine.
Brianna Gomez was pregnant at the time of the crash and her son was delivered in emergency surgery before she died.
Sen. Suzanne Williams paid the fine and $68 in court costs, Hartley County Attorney Shane Turner said Thursday.
The Amarillo Globe-News reported that Texas law allowed for the dismissal of two seat-belt citations against Williams, a staunch supporter in the Colorado Legislature of seat belt laws.
Last December, Williams' SUV crossed the center line of a highway and struck a vehicle carrying the 30-year-old Gomez.
A Texas grand jury declined to indict Williams on criminal charges.
Williams did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment. Her Texas attorney Joe Marr Wilson said she instructed him not to comment.
Her Colorado attorney, David Lane, said the tragedy was overwhelming and he was glad the case was resolved.
"I'm glad there was no criminal violation. Suzanne pleaded to a traffic offense. Whether a civil lawsuit will be filed is up to the family of the victim," he said.
Brianna Gomez's father, Tom White, said he was relieved Williams changed her plea from not guilty in the driving on the wrong side of the road citation.
He said insurance companies representing the Gomez family and the Williams family have been at loggerheads since the incident.
"Basically, I hope that will help in the insurance. I hope we can get on with our lives," White said.
Curran Gomez, who weighed about 3 pounds when doctors delivered him, is healthy and now weighs about 18 pounds, White said.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
