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KZoo driver sentenced to prison for crashing car into metro transit bus

Posted at 6:31 PM, Jun 04, 2018
and last updated 2018-06-04 18:31:48-04

KALAMAZOO, Mich. — The driver responsible for the crash that severely injured a Metro Transit bus driver was sentenced to prison Monday morning. Police said on May 24, 2017 Michael Spencer was driving 111 miles-per-hour when he slammed into the bus on Michigan Avenue and Oakland Drive.

“She lost leg in this case,” said Kalamazoo County assistant prosecutor Steven McLaughlin during sentencing. “That’s something that will forever change how she deals with her daily life. The things she could do before that she did for pleasure, she can no longer do.”

McLaughlin stated to the court that LaShon Diallo had been driving buses for 21 years and had recently paid off he home. She enjoyed a self-supporting life.

“She now has to live with family members to help her take care of her daily needs until such time, the insurance company makes adjustments to her residence so that she can get around her house and take care of herself," he continued.

Diallo spent time recovering at Mary Free Bed hospital in Grand Rapids. Spencer has since been charged with a few felonies, including operating while intoxicated causing serious injury. He apologized for his actions, saying that he had no memory of the crash, before he was sentenced to 3-5 years in prison.

“When we talked about the sentencing guidelines and when we talked about you know what the sentence recommendation of the probation department was, Miss Diallo indicated to me that she wanted the defendant sentenced to a maximum sentence,” said McLaughlin. “She wants him at a place where he can’t do this to anyone else.”