Accident News

Maryland Man Sentenced To 100 Months In Prison For Fatal High Speed Crash

A Lanham, Maryland man has been sentenced to 100 months in prison in connection with a fatal high speed car crash in Northwest Washington, D.C. in 2004, United States Attorney Kenneth L. Wainstein announced today.

Guy Bordes Agnant, 29, of Lanham, Maryland, was sentenced yesterday in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia by the Honorable Robert I. Richter to serve 100 months of imprisonment for the fatal high speed crash that took the life of John C. Johnson, Jr. on November 30, 2004. Agnant pled guilty on October 18, 2005, to one count of Involuntary Manslaughter.

At the time of the collision, John C. Johnson, Jr., a financial planner, was on his way to help his sister who had locked her keys in her car at her place of employment. The defendant's vehicle was equipped with a "black box," which indicated that the defendant's car was going 90 miles per hour seconds before colliding with Mr. Johnson's car.

At the previous plea proceeding, testimony was proffered by the government that on November 30, 2004, at approximately 12:55 a.m., a driver of a vehicle was stopped at a red signal eastbound on Irving Street at the intersection with Park Place, NW. He was second in line at the signal behind a 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis. As the light cycled to green for traffic on Irving Street, the Mercury moved into the intersection when a light brown colored Buick passed the red signal at a high rate of speed and struck the Mercury broadside on the driver's side. The force of the impact caused the Mercury to be pushed laterally in a southerly direction on Park Place where it struck and mounted the southeast curb, entered a grassy median, continued south on the median and came to a final rest approximately 143 feet from the point of impact. After impact, the Buick continued to travel south in the 3000 block of Park Place leaving lateral scuff marks, coming to a final rest approximately 129 feet from the point of impact. There were no markings indicating any attempts by the Buick to brake prior to impact.

Seconds after the cars came to a final stop, the driver behind the Mercury observed the defendant crawl out of the driver's side of the Buick and fall to the ground several times. The driver of the Buick was later identified as Guy Bordes Agnant. Agnant attempted to flee the scene by flagging down a taxi, but was thwarted by the intervention of the driver behind the Mercury. Based on observation by investigators from the Major Crash Investigation Unit, the defendant exhibited the odor of alcoholic coming from person and breath and appeared to be under the influence of alcoholic a short time after the actual crash. Blood was taken and the defendant had a blood alcohol content of .065. Accident reconstruction and subsequent testing on the "black box" inside the Buick concluded that Agnant was traveling at approximately 90 miles per hour at the time of impact.

The driver of the Mercury was identified through his driver's license as John C. Johnson, Jr. Johnson had to be extricated from his vehicle by District of Columbia Fire Department and EMS units. He was transported to Washington Hospital Center, Medstar Unit and admitted in critical condition. He was pronounced dead from his injuries at 1:37 a.m. by Dr. Golocovsky of the Medstar staff.
 

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	A Study Found That Drivers Wearing Seat Belts Have 5 Times The Risk Of Dying, If Rear Passenger Is Not A study conducted at the University of Tokyo found that drivers who are buckled up have 5 times the risk of dying in a collision if their rear seat passengers are not buckled up. The injuries to the driver and front seat passenger are caused when the people in the back who are not buckled up catapult to the front.