GREEN RIVER — A Haitian truck driver will be going to prison three years after causing a crash on Interstate 80 that killed one Carbon County EMS worker and critically injured another.
Saviol Saint Jean, 46, of Brooklyn was convicted of felony Aggravated Homicide by Vehicle, felony Aggravated Assault and Battery, and a misdemeanor traffic violation for not pulling to the side upon seeing an emergency vehicle. He faced a maximum of 30 years in prison if sentenced to serve the maximum sentences consecutively, but District Court Judge Richard Lavery opted not to impose the highest sentencing ranges. Lavery sentenced Saint Jean to serve 12-14 years for the Aggravated Homicide by Vehicle charge and nine to 10 years for the Aggravated Assault and Battery charge, which are to be served concurrently. He was also fined $200 for the misdemeanor. He was given 614 days credit for time already served on the lower and upper limits of his sentence.
Sweetwater County Attorney Daniel Erramouspe said he agrees with Lavery’s sentence, saying it is fair and just for the situation. Erramouspe initially asked for 18-20 years for the first charge and eight to 10 years for the second against Saint Jean to serve as a deterrent for others driving as recklessly as Saint Jean did. Erramouspe told the court Sweetwater County has the highest number of traffic fatalities on Interstate 80. His office is working on other cases involving charges of felony Aggravated Vehicular Homicide.
Erramouspe also said the case is one he hates because Saint Jean is someone that isn’t a bad or evil man and because the situation involves emergency responders whose actions may have contributed to the resulting crash. Lavery agreed with Erramouspe about the case.
“This is truly a case to hate,” Lavery said before issuing his sentence.
The families of Tyeler Harris, who died in the crash, and Tiffany Gruetzmacher spoke about how Saint Jean’s actions impacted them for the rest of their lives. Harris’s family described him as a loving father, son, husband, and grandson who was also a prankster who will not be there for his three children as they grow up. He was born prematurely and was the 33rd baby in the United States to receive nitrous oxide to help develop his lungs. As a teenager, he underwent heart surgery to correct an issue that would later prevent him from joining the armed forces like many others in his family. He would find his calling after helping save a man who was having a heart attack. His father and grandfather both said Tyeler’s loss is something his family won’t ever recover from.
Mike Gruetzmacher, Tiffany’s father, spoke about the call he received to go to the hospital following the crash. He talked about how his daughter loved caring for people and that grew into a career with the ambulance service, where she eventually became the ambulance supervisor and taught EMS classes. Tiffany later told the court the extent of her injuries, which included two skull fractures, a brain bleed, and fractures in her neck and back. She said she also suffers from PTSD that ultimately prevented her from continuing with the ambulance service, saying she was always checking out the window of the ambulance after loading a patient because she was fearful of a vehicle speeding and colliding with the ambulance.
“I could not do EMS anymore,” she said.
Tiffany’s injuries continue to leave her dealing with physical and emotional pain and according to her father, will cause her to need increased care as she gets older.
Saint Jean spoke through a Haitian Creole interpreter, expressing remorse for the accident, saying he never thought he would be in a position to cause such harm to the victims’ and their families. He said he was extremely sorry for what occurred, saying words couldn’t express the remorse he feels.
