Charges are being brought against the driver of a semi-truck that collided head-on with an SUV in December in Killington in a crash that killed a couple from New York and a friend, and injured the couple's three children, the Vermont State Police said Tuesday.
Lashawn Jones, 41, of Alpharetta, Georgia, is scheduled to appear June 27 in Vermont Superior Court in Rutland to answer three charges of grossly negligent driving with death resulting. Police cited Jones on June 2, more than five months after the Dec. 29 crash on U.S. 4.
Jones' lawyer, Matthew Hart, said she plans to deny the charges and remains "heartbroken" that three people were killed in the wreck.
The truck crashed head-on with a Cadillac Escalade driven by Ryszard Malarczyk, 51, as he and his family drove west on the snowy highway between Rutland and the Killington ski resort. The driver and his wife, Anita Malarczyk, 50, both of Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, and their friend Jaroslaw Karczewski, 51, of Poland were killed in the crash.
Siblings Monica Malarczyk, 22, Peter Malarczyk, 20, and Natalie Malarczyk,16, all of of Hastings-on-Hudson, suffered extensive injuries.
Jones was treated and released.
Witness statements and evidence at the scene led investigators to conclude Jones drove her 2016 International tractor trailer in a grossly negligent manner when the conditions were hazardous, state police said in a statement Tuesday. Police said road conditions were poor that day, with the pavement mostly covered with slush and ice following morning snow and sleet showers.
The tractor trailer was owned by Roehl Transport Inc. of Marshfield, Wisconsin, police have said.
A representative of the company who declined to provide her name Tuesday would not comment on Jones' employment status or on the accusations.
Hart, the defense lawyer Jones was "in the wrong place at the wrong time" on a roadway that is known to have quickly changing conditions during the wintertime. Hart said the road has been closed in the past due to treacherous conditions.
Hart and Jones have reviewed the crash report and have retained experts to review the case.
"Unfortunately, that section of Route 4 going over the pass in Killington is a very, very dangerous area," Hart said.
Referring to the crash, he added,"It's a tragedy. There is no good that ever comes out of something like this. ... Ms. Jones was taking this very hard long before she was ever charged."
Hart said Jones is "heartbroken" that the crash killed three people, and she is continuing to deal with emotions related to that day. Jones remains employed by the transportation company but has not been driving, Hart said.
The Vermont State Police and Rutland County State's Attorney Rose Kennedy worked together on the investigation and review of the crash.









Comment: Well, I'm not surprised Rose Kennedy is involved in this prosecution. Given how many times there have been accidents on that stretch of road, the state should be on trial not this poor woman. Almost every year there seems to be a fatality involving a semi on this road during those type of conditions. Given the logic the Rose Kennedy used to indict Craig Mosher, that repeated instances and warning just before the accident is criminal negligence then the state should be held to answer for criminally negligent involuntary manslaughter in the deaths of the three people and liable for the injuries and damage as a result of this avoidable event. The state should have closed the road or plowed, sanded and salted it more frequently as there is ample historical evidence of incidents resulting in death on this stretch of road in those type of conditions.
Rose Kennedy you cannot let the state off the hook and scapegoat this poor woman.