Charges Are First Under 'Maria's Law'
Brian Campbell, 21, and William Clark, 77, were in their truck on Interstate 5 in Shoreline when the metal shelving they'd loaded into the back fell off the truck and into traffic on August 18.
Gavin Coffee, of Lake Forest Park, was killed when a Lincoln Town Car plowed into the driver's side of his Honda Civic as he swerved to avoid the shelving.
Prosecutors determined that both Campbell and Clark were responsible for loading the truck and that both should face charges under "Maria's Law," a law named for Maria Federici, who was blinded by debris from an unsecured load while she was driving on Interstate 405 in 2004.
"We lobbied for this law, it was our hope that we would never have to use it," said King County Prosecutor Norm Maleng in a statement issued Tuesday. "Unsecured loads are a hazard to everyone on the road."
The charges filed on Tuesday mark the first time the new law has been used. If convicted, the two face up to one year in jail and a $5,000 fine.
"We always hoped it wouldn't happen to anybody else, but if it did that there would be some kind of justice paid," said Federici.
But prosecutors say they'll ask only for a fine and community service -- at the Maria Federici Foundation.
"I think that's really important to have people advocating and telling them their story about how they feel about causing the death of someone," said Maria's mother, Robin Abel.
Prosecutors approached Federici and Abel to tell them they were considering the first charges in Maria's Law. It was then that Abel made the request for volunteer time instead of jail.
As part of the foundation, Maria and her mom travel around speaking to businesses and other groups sharing their story and warning about the dangers of unsecured loads.
Abel said that if Campbell and Clark do end up joining the foundation she'll ask them to speak as well.
"Really it's just going to be their personal side of what happened, so they can share what happened and how they feel. I think that's going to make a huge impact," she said.
Campbell and Clark are not in custody and are scheduled to be arraigned in King County Superior court October 2.
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