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Truck Driver Pleads Guilty In Bay Bridge Crash

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) -- Movement in the case of a truck driver who crashed into a car and sent it off the Bay Bridge. That man has pleaded guilty for his role in the crash.

Mike Hellgren reports the driver never set foot in a courtroom.

Video shows the aftermath of a frightening crash last July on the Bay Bridge. A young college student named Morgan Lake struggled to survive after an 18-wheeler slammed into her car, sending it over the edge.

The driver of the big rig, Gabor Lovasz, has now pleaded guilty for failure to control speed, making an unsafe lane change, negligent driving and driving at a speed greater than reasonable. They're all misdemeanors. The guilty plea involved simply paying a $450 fine to the court.

The victim will never forget her struggle to survive.

"The car hit the water; my mouth filled up with water," Lake said. "Then I felt the drowning sensation. I felt like I was drowning and I didn't want to."

Police say her car was slowing to around four miles an hour. Lovasz was not paying attention and plowed into her at around 50 miles an hour. As Lovasz tried to get control, he hit her a second time, sending her plunging more than 25 feet into the Chesapeake Bay.

The MdTA said Lovasz was a distracted driver.

"His attention was directed to his driver's side mirror, due to flashing headlights behind him," said MdTA Police Chief Michael Kundrat. "An all-too common occurrence. Distracted driving and tailgating need to stop."

This is the second accident this year where a car went on top of the almost three-foot-high barrier wall. No one died in either crash.

"I am so blessed that He gave me the strength to say, `You are going to be on this earth. It is not your time,'" Lake said.

Inspections of the 18-wheeler showed no mechanical problems.

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