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WILKES-BARRE — A Kingston man accused of losing control of a concrete mixer that crashed into another vehicle killing the driver pled guilty to vehicular homicide in Luzerne County Court on Monday.
Howard Halter Briggs, 41, of Rutter Avenue, was operating a concrete mixer while descending East Northampton Street, known as Giants Despair, when he lost control and struck a Toyota Tacoma, driven by Louis Robert Walkowiak, 62, on Jan. 11, 2021, according to state police at Wilkes-Barre.
Walkowiak, of Laurel Run, died from multiple traumatic injuries.
State police in court records say at the time of the crash, Briggs was illegally traveling on a restricted road for heavy commercial vehicles.
Court records say Briggs told state police he left a job site in Bear Creek Township, followed his GPS in his truck and did not see road signs that ban commercial vehicles weighing more than 10 tons from traveling on East Northampton Street.
State police alleged Briggs began the steep downhill descent when the transmission failed and then the brakes totally failed. Emergency spring brakes on the cement mixer did not engage, court records say.
Briggs claimed he never saw the Toyota.
An accident reconstruction of the crash alleged Briggs was traveling at about 47 mph prior to overturning the cement mixer and striking Walkowiak’s vehicle.
Prosecutors previously withdrew several traffic and vehicle citations against Briggs.
Briggs pled guilty to vehicular homicide before Judge David W. Lupas.
Briggs is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 29.