PITTSBURGH (AP) — A man pleaded guilty Monday to manslaughter for failing to properly hitch a wood-chipper to his truck in an accident that killed a man and two of his young triplets.
Bradley Demitras was scheduled to stand trial Monday but struck a deal with prosecutors instead. He pleaded guilty to three counts of involuntary manslaughter and one count of reckless endangerment.
"He's had a very hard time with this case, as I have, as everyone involved has," said his attorney, Patrick Thomassey. "We wanted to spare the family and everyone involved from the rigors of a trial."
Demitras did not properly hook up the chipper to his truck's hitch, causing it to break loose and strike a van April 13, prosecutors said.
Spencer Morrison, 37, and 4-year-olds Alaina and Garrett were killed. A third triplet, Ethan was critically injured, but survived.
No guilty plea or conviction "could ever relieve our pain or satisfy our anger," Morrison's widow, Nicole, said in a news release. But the plea allows Demitras to take responsibility "while sparing our family the nightmare of reliving the details of that horrific day through a public trial."
Allegheny County Judge Lester Nauhaus indicated Demitras faces a maximum possible prison term of 17 years and three months. Demitras also pleaded guilty to several lesser traffic violations.
Sentencing is set for May 22.
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