The family of a Montgomery County, Maryland, bicyclist who was killed after she was hit by a truck, are unhappy with the sentence the driver received.
Santos Reyes Martinez pleaded guilty to causing death while operating a motor vehicle in the crash that killed Sarah Langenkamp in August of last year. He received a $2,000 fine and 150 hours of community service Monday, the maximum penalty under Maryland Law.
“You don’t feel that justice has been done because the penalties just don’t exist,” Daniel Langenkamp, the victim’s husband told news outlet NBC Washington.
Reyes Martinez hit and killed Langenkamp, a state department employee, on Aug. 25 last year. Both were heading southbound on River Road between Ridgefield Road and Little Falls Parkway when he turned right and hit her in the bike lane.
“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. “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.”
An attorney for Reyes Martinez says his client accepts guilt but couldn’t comment further due to a pending civil lawsuit.
Since his wife’s death, Daniel Langenkamp, has focused on advocating for bike and pedestrian safety.
