BENNINGTON — A man who admitted causing the crash that killed Hollywood actor Treat Williams was ordered Friday to undergo a year of probation after hearing words of anger as well as forgiveness from the victim’s family.
At the beginning of the hearing in Bennington Superior criminal court, Ryan Koss pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of negligent vehicle operation that resulted in Williams’ death.
Under the terms of his deferred sentence, if Koss were to violate probation, he could be sentenced a maximum of two years in jail, said Judge Kerry Ann McDonald-Cady. As a consequence of his conviction, he would also be banned from driving for a year.
Koss, 35, acknowledged he was driving along Route 30 last June when he turned left and crashed into Williams, 71, who was riding a motorcycle. Koss said he was in the right lane, had stopped and signaled before turning, yet did not see the motorcycle coming toward him.
Police had said Koss was not speeding, distracted or under the influence of substances during the crash in Dorset.
“I think about it every day and wonder if this would all be easier if the explanation was simple,” Koss said in court. “I could be mad at myself for something more obvious I had done wrong.”
Koss, of Dorset, said he was taking responsibility for the crash and apologized to Williams’ loved ones, his fans and the local community.
Williams, a resident of Manchester Center, and Koss, a director at the Dorset Theatre Festival, had interactions through the theater group, according to the actor’s son, Gill Williams. He recounted having dinner at Koss’s home about a month before his dad died at Albany Medical Center in New York, where Williams was airlifted following the crash.
Koss called Gill Williams’ mother, Pam Williams, soon after the crash happened, the younger Williams told VTDigger. Mother and son rushed to the crash scene, where they waited with Treat Williams for the ambulance to arrive.
Gill Williams, 32, spoke in court Friday of the need to become a new person in order to heal and move on from his father’s death. He was wearing his dad’s dark green jacket embroidered with “Treat” on the chest area.
“You killed me that day, in some way,” he said, looking at Koss. “Part of that new person is being able to come here today, which I really didn’t want to but I felt I had to, and just say that I do forgive you. And I hope you forgive yourself.”
“I don’t want there to be any more pain in the world than there needs to be,” he said. “Just live life every day the way that my dad lived his life, which was to the fullest, the absolute fullest.”
Pam Williams expressed a similar message in a written statement, which was read in court by a victim advocate.
“It was a tragic accident, and I know that you must suffer every day from PTSD that we are all suffering from from that awful day,” she wrote to Koss, referencing post-traumatic stress disorder. “Why this should have happened to Treat and, inadvertently, by you is just bewildering on every level. And I’m so sorry that we all have to live with it.”
Pam Williams said her husband’s death created a big hole within her family that can’t be filled, but that they’re determined to find a way back to a full and joyful life.
“I pray for that for you, as well, Ryan,” she wrote, addressing Koss. “One thing that does give me comfort is knowing that Treat was so happy and complete with himself and life and our family, and that he is here with us very much so, still, in spirit.”
Williams’ daughter, Ellie Williams, said in a written statement that she remained angry because of what her dad suffered during his last moments. She said he was launched about 15 feet in the air after Koss struck his motorcycle, emergency responders had to cut off his pants to treat an injury on his thigh and treatment providers in Albany cut his chest open in order to manually pump his heart.
“It was too late … He died from severe trauma and blood loss,” she wrote. “We’ll be OK, but dad died. Those words torture me every single day.”
The 26-year-old also spoke about being deprived of creating more memories with her dad.
“I will never get to feel my father’s hug again,” she said, “introduce him to my future husband, have him walk me down the aisle, introduce him to my babies and have him cry when I name my first son after him.”
Judge McDonald-Cady accepted the one-year deferred sentence that prosecutors recommended as part of Koss’s plea agreement with the state’s attorney’s office. The deal included reducing his charge from a felony to a misdemeanor vehicular offense.
Bennington County State’s Attorney Erica Marthage said Williams’ family supported the plea deal, but she emphasized that she oversaw the major decisions in the case.
Marthage said she recommended this case resolution because of several major factors. She said Koss does not have a criminal record, the state couldn’t find proof that he was driving while distracted, such as while using a phone, and that he immediately called Williams’ wife to tell her about the crash.
Marthage also said that, as part of Koss’s restorative justice programming, the victim’s family suggested that Koss create some type of theater memorial for Williams.
Williams’ acting career spanned more than 50 years, including starring roles in “Everwood” and “Hair.”
