Jurors in the trial of Joanna L. Seibert heard from Dr. Sheila Klauer, a research scientist at
Virginia Tech's Transportation Institute who conducted a study on
distracted driving. Siebert was found guilty this week of homicide by vehicle and tampering with evidence in the death of Officer David Tome. Seibert fatally struck Tome, 31, the morning of
Oct. 21, 2008, as Tome was standing on Route 15 in Franklin Township
placing safety cones in preparation to investigate a previous fatal
crash. Seibert was going 69 mph in a 55 mph zone,
applying makeup and using her cell phone when she failed to notice
orange traffic cones closing the right southbound lane of Route 15.
Her Saturn VUE hit several cones, then fatally struck Tome. Seibert deleted the usage history on her Apple
iPhone the day after the crash, which was the basis of the
evidence-tampering charge. Chief deputy prosecutor Tim Barker told the
judge that Seibert's driving record "is quite extensive" and includes
two traffic citations since the fatal crash.
Court records reveal that since 2000, Seibert
pleaded guilty to, or was found guilty of, six traffic offenses
including tailgating, careless driving and speeding.
Read more: yorkdispatch.com.
