The family of a bicyclist struck and killed by a truck is disappointed with the sentence the driver received.
Santos Reyes Martinez pleaded guilty to causing death while operating a motor vehicle in the August 2022 crash that killed Sarah Langenkamp in Bethesda. He received the maximum penalty for that charge under Maryland law – a $2,000 fine and 150 hours of community service.
“You don’t feel that justice has been done because the penalties just don’t exist,” said Langenkamp’s husband, Daniel.
Langenkamp was killed while riding her bike in a bike lane on River Road in the afternoon. Reyes Martinez, a commercial truck driver who worked for a local company, hit her while making a turn.
We're making it easier for you to find stories that matter with our new newsletter — The 4Front. Sign up here and get news that is important for you to your inbox.
“I’m not flabbergasted at the lawyer or the prosecutor or the judge, they did their jobs, the police did their job, but the law in this case is just unbelievable,” Daniel Langenkamp said.
He was joined at sentencing by the couple’s two boys and his wife’s parents. They knew it would be a hard day in court, considering the driver wasn’t charged with a crime and wasn’t facing any jail time.
The driver’s attorney said Reyes Martinez has accepted guilt in the case but couldn’t comment further because of the ongoing civil lawsuit filed against him and the company he works for.
With the case over, Daniel Langenkamp is focusing on making road safety changes and enacting stiffer penalties for those who are involved in deadly crashes.
“Certainly not just a few thousand dollar fine and then you walk free with a suspension on your licenses that could be as few as seven days, that is just mind-blowingly lenient,” he said.
The head of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association, who also attended the hearing, said her group is trying to make drivers and truck companies more accountable when they hit or kill cyclists in the DMV.
“Losing a life on the streets, people just say, ‘I’m sorry,’ and you’re not held accountable,” WABA Executive Director Elizabeth Kiker said.
The Motor Vehicle Administration will decide if Reyes Martinez's license will be suspended anywhere from seven days to six months.
The state’s attorney’s office released a statement that said, “Current laws don’t give substantial protections to people hit by cars ... and would be open to discussing possible changes to the law.”
Sign up for our Breaking newsletter to get the most urgent news stories in your inbox.
