New Haven Register (Sunday) (New Haven, CT)
Hamden man gets 18 months in fatal Ansonia crash
DERBY — A Hamden man was sentenced to serve a year and a half behind bars this summer in connection to a 2018 crash in Ansonia that killed a 78year-old man.
But as one of the victim’s children said this week, no amount of jail time could truly compensate — especially in light of what happened after the crash.
“After my father was killed, nine weeks later to the day, my mother died of a broken heart,” Leslie Vidic said of her parents, Garrett and Carol Dalton. “We lost two of the most important people in our lives. The glue of our family, gone.”
Zachary Mercer, 28, pleaded guilty under the Alford doctrine in April to misconduct with a motor vehicle before Judge Peter Brown in Derby Superior Court.
A so-called Alford plea means the defendant does not admit his guilt but concedes he could be found guilty if he went to trial. The judge then finds him guilty of the charges.
Under the terms of the deal, Mercer faced up to three years behind bars, but could have received a fully suspended sentence as well.
Vidic said the family was happy with the judge’s July 20 sentence — five years to be suspended after 18 months, followed by three years of probation — even though it could have been for more jail time.
“Nothing’s going to bring our dad back, not even a life sentence. Our dad’s gone forever,” Vidic said, describing the loss left by her father. “He was the kindest person and would give his shirt off his back for you, literally. He would give you his last dollar if he had it.”
Police said Mercer was behind the wheel of a 2005 GMC Sierra pickup headed north on Main Street when he ran a red light about 5 a.m. on Sept. 23, 2018, hitting a 1992 Honda Accord
driven by Dalton, east on Bridge Street.
The impact from the collision caused Dalton’s car to bounce off another vehicle before hitting the glass doors of an empty
storefront, according to a warrant for Mercer’s arrest.
Dalton — a U.S. Army veteran and former Ansonia Board of Education employee — was rushed to the hospital but died the
next day.
Prosecutors said an investigation determined Mercer’s car shouldn’t have been on the road, and had failed a state Department of Motor Vehicle inspection.
Vidic said even though Mercer is to blame for her father’s death, “I felt bad when I saw them take him away.”
“I am a parent,” she said. “It was a lose-lose situation for both sides. Our father was gone, and he’s still a young guy, (and) is in jail. We felt bad, but he has to learn a lesson.
“We don’t want to ruin his life, we just want him to never do this again,” Vidic said. “We don’t want someone else’s family member taken away from them.”
A message seeking comment was left with Mercer’s lawyer.