SUNNY ISLES BEACH, Fla. – A South Florida family is feeling a sense of relief following a judge’s decision to suspend the license of the driver who hit and killed their 11-year-old son.
Still, that family has never understood why the driver in this case never faced criminal charges.
Instead, Samentha Toussaint is being punished in traffic court and will have her license suspended for the next eight years.
“I feel like there is a disregard, a complete disregard for the law and for the honor of having that privilege to be able to drive,” said 11th Judicial Circuit Judge Kristy Nuñez.
More than a year and a half after running a red light in Sunny Isles Beach and killing Anthony Reznick as he tried to walk through a crosswalk, Toussaint sat and listened Wednesday as the judge scolded her driving record.
Local 10 News has learned the light Toussaint ran was red for 16 seconds by the time she went through it that night. The state asked for the judge to suspend her license for five years.
Before announcing her decision, Nuñez listed Toussaint’s other previous driving infractions, including having her license suspended at least four times, being cited for driving with a suspended license at least five times, running at least two red lights, speeding in a school zone, and causing at least two accidents.
“You have had the opportunity more than once Ms. Toussaint to keep your license,” the judge said. “You’ve been given that privilege more than once. I do agree accidents do happen and in this case it appears it is an accident, but it’s also an accident that could have been prevented.”
In the end, Nuñez ordered Toussaint’s license be suspended for eight years, a decision that brought some relief to the child’s family.
“I think in those eight years she could change her behavior, she could change her outlook of how and understand that driving is a privilege, not a right,” said Reznick’s mother Dr. Inna Trakhtenberg.
In addition to her license being suspended, Toussaint also must pay court costs and a $1,000 fine, as well as perform 120 hours of community service in a trauma center or hospital.
The family says they are planning on working with state lawmakers to create legislation that better protect people from habitual reckless drivers, and by doing so they hope to save lives.