GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A driver who allegedly swerved into a bike lane, hitting and killing a triathlete, is heading to prison.
A Kent County judge Tuesday sentenced Benjamin Vanderploeg to 11 years to 55 years in prison in connection to the hit-and-run death of Charles Driggers.
Driggers was training for an Iron Man triathlon on Cannonsburg Road on Aug. 17 when he was hit by Vanderploeg, who left the scene. Driggers, a cancer survivor, died nine days later.
Vanderploeg wept in court Tuesday as he heard from Driggers’ children, who said they had forgiven him. However, Driggers’ son said there needed to be an example.
Vanderploeg’s attorney argued Tuesday the amount of drugs in his client’s system was small. However, VanderPloeg has a long list of driving violations that kept him from having a valid license for the better part of two decades. He also has multiple convictions for possession of drugs that led to time in prison as late as May 2014.
Vanderploeg last month pleaded guilty to driving on a suspended license causing death, failure to stop at the scene of a crash causing death, and being a fourth-time habitual offender.
The vehicle he was allegedly driving at the time of the crash belonged to his employer, the Lawn Ranger. The landscaping company’s owner, Brent Fields, previously told 24 Hour News 8 that he was unaware of the crash when he noticed damage to his vehicle the next morning and called police to report it.