Background: The scene of the crime near the intersection of Rhode Island Street and 14th Street in Buffalo, New York, on Oct. 2, 2024 (WGRZ/YouTube). Inset: Sasiya Davis-Johnson (Erie County District Attorney's Office).
A former garbage truck driver in Buffalo, New York, has learned her fate for "recklessly" backing her vehicle up and striking a teenage boy, severely injuring him.
Sasiya Davis-Johnson, 48, was sentenced on Thursday to three years of probation after pleading guilty in October to third-degree assault and reckless driving, both misdemeanors. She faced up to 364 days in jail, the Erie County District Attorney's Office noted.
On Oct. 2, 2024, Davis-Johnson was driving a Buffalo Department of Public Works garbage truck at approximately 8:16 a.m. near the intersection of Rhode Island Street and 14th Street as children across the city were either in or headed to school.
One such student was a 17-year-old boy crossing Rhode Island Street, the DA's office said. At the same time, Davis-Johnson "recklessly drove the garbage truck by placing the vehicle in reverse and moving in the wrong direction" on the one-way street.
The garbage truck hit the pedestrian, and authorities said Davis-Johnson "recklessly caused physical injuries" to the boy. Fourteen months later, he remains in the hospital, is paralyzed from the waist down, has had a leg amputated and has undergone more than 30 surgeries, his attorney, Charles Desmond, said, per local ABC affiliate WKBW.
"This is a 60,000-pound truck that ran him over and then went forward, ran him over again," Desmond told reporters, per WKBW.
In January, the teenager's family sued the City of Buffalo, Davis-Johnson, and another city worker over the incident, the outlet added.
During the sentencing hearing, Davis-Johnson's attorney pleaded for leniency, arguing she had "never been in trouble before this happened" and was remorseful.
Desmond said her reckless actions may have been compounded by inadequate training and faulty equipment.
"We know that the city did not properly train her. We know there was a spotter in the garbage truck that could have been out guiding, looking behind the truck. He did not get out of the truck. She did not order him out of the truck. We also know that the backup camera on the garbage truck was broken and disabled," he said.
Davis-Johnson is no longer employed by the City of Buffalo Department of Public Works, the DA's office said. Authorities also noted that she was offered the "reduced plea" of the misdemeanor charges, with the "consent of the victim."
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