October 24, 2012, ERIE, PA — An Erie motorcycle crash resulted in tragic injuries to one Erie woman and a prison sentence for another. Tori Scofield is a mother of two who was riding her motorcycle on February 28, 2012 when a Ford Expedition turned left in front of her at the intersection of Broad Street and the Bayfront Connector in Erie, Pennsylvania.
Tori Scofield lost her left leg as a result of the accident and the driver of the Expedition, Shauna Casler, is going to jail because she was driving on a suspended license at the time of the Pennsylvania motorcycle crash.
Ms. Casler, the Expedition driver, had 10 prior traffic violations that led to her initial license suspension. The accident in question happened because she was rushing to make a left turn through a yellow light and didn’t see the oncoming motorcyclist. Unfortunately, as we’ve written about here before in connection with other Erie motorcycle accident cases, the “I never saw her” excuse is depressingly common.
Even though Ms. Casler was at fault in the Pennsylvania motorcycle accident, she would certainly not have been sentenced to jail but for the fact that her license was on suspension at the time of the accident. She plead guilty to the felony of accidents resulting in death or serious injury while not properly licensed and was sentenced to 9 to 23 months in the Erie County Prison. She was also sentenced to pay $450,000 in medical bills, to probation for 5 years and her license was suspended for an additional 7 years.
Tori Scofield, meanwhile, struggles to deal with her injuries. She appeared in the courtroom for the sentencing in a wheelchair and expects to undergo more surgery in hopes of being fitted for a prosthetic leg. She spoke of the ongoing pain she deals with every day and her uncertainty about her future.
As Erie motorcycle accident lawyers, we know of the problems that catastrophically injured victims face. We know, too, that the remedies of our justice system are inadequate. Nevertheless, justice requires that what can be fixed, be fixed. What can be helped, should be helped. And for those harms and losses that can neither be fixed or helped there should be compensation paid. We hope that Ms. Scofield finds help and compensation.
Contact Erie’s Motorcycle Accident Attorneys
For more information, call the Erie motorcycle injury lawyers who teach other lawyers and insurance companies about Pennsylvania motorcycle accident law and insurance issues and who genuinely care about you and the outcome of your case. Call Purchase, George & Murphey, P.C. at 814-273-2010 or toll free at 814-273-2010 or use our website’s contact form.