A UConn shuttle bus driver who struck and killed a 20-year-old student will not serve jail time and has been issued two years of probation.
Lukasz Gilewski agreed to plead nolo contendere for a suspended sentence, probation and no incarceration and was sentenced at Rockville Superior Court on Monday.
The 22-year-old Newington resident was charged with negligent homicide with a motor vehicle and failing to yield to a pedestrian in the March 22 accident that killed David Plamondon of Westminster, Mass.
Police said Plamondon was struck in a crosswalk. Both Gilewski and Plamondon were UConn students.
Gilewski apologized in court to the victim's family and friends, "sincerely and deeply to his parents who are going through something no parent should have to go through....David was an amazing person."
He admitted to waving at another shuttle bus driver and glancing away from the road for a split second, according to court documents.
Those documents also state that he was going about 19 mph, used his turn signal and was not using a phone or any handheld device.
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The victim's family does not endorse the deal and the judge has not yet approved it.
Judge Elliot Solomon approved completely suspending the sentence with two years of probation for Gilewski with mandatory driver retraining and 100 hours a year of community service for the two years.
He will spend 10 hours each year speaking to driving-school classes and pay $80 a month for the 2 years to the foundations set up in memory of the victim.
"Justice is not being served ... but unfortunately I've been told there's not enough evidence. … The fault of this collision lies solely on this defendant," Plamondon’s mother told the court,
"It was a momentary diversion from what he should have been doing," Judge Solomon said. "Save the maximum sentence for somebody who deserves it."
