The truck driver who hit a car sending it off the Chesapeake Bay Bridge last summer has pleaded guilty to four charges.
The Capital reports that Gabor Lovasz, 30, pleaded guilty last month to negligent driving, unsafe lane changing, failure to control vehicle speed to avoid a collision, and driving in excess of a reasonable and prudent speed. His fines totaled $450.
A Maryland Transportation Authority police report on the July 19 crash determined that distracted driving caused the crash on the eastbound span. Investigators found that Lovasz was distracted by flashing lights behind him and didn't notice vehicles ahead of him stopping until too late. He swerved, hitting two vehicles. Investigators believe the tractor-trailer was traveling between 47 and 51 mph just before the crash.
A Chrysler driven by Morgan Lake, 23, of Calvert County was pushed up onto the barrier wall and a second impact sent it into the water below. Lake swam to safety and was treated for minor injuries.
Lovasz, a native of Hungary working in Canada on a temporary foreign worker program, was on his first solo trip in the United States.
The report notes that the accident was the second this year in which a vehicle was pushed on top of the bridge barrier.
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