Driver Gets Probation In Crash Deaths Of 5 In Bergen Family

NEW JERSEY — The driver of a pickup truck who crashed into a car and killed five members of a New Jersey family was sentenced to probation Friday on charges in the deaths of a father and his four daughters.

A judge sentenced Albert S. Hubbard III of East New Market to probation even though the only surviving family member pleaded for the maximum punishment of 14 years in prison.

Hubbard pleaded guilty in June to five counts of operation of a motor vehicle that caused the July 2018 deaths as the Teaneck family was heading heading home from Ocean City, Md. He also pleaded guilty to three counts of vehicular assault.

The wrong-way driver from Maryland's Eastern Shore crashed his truck into the family's car, killing Audi Marquez Trinidad, 61, of Teaneck, New Jersey, and his four daughters: Kaitlyn, 20; Danna, 17; and 13-year-old twins, Melissa and Allison. All of the victims died at the scene, authorities said.

Wife and mother Mary Rose Ballocanag was the only family member to survive, but she was seriously injured, suffering many fractured and broken bones.

Judge Calvin L. Scott Jr. determined the sentence over the objections of Mary Rose Ballocanag, the widow and mother, Delaware Online reported. Prosecutors had wanted Scott to sentence Hubbard to six months in prison.

“His one life will never be enough for the five people he killed,” Ballocanag said in court.

Hubbard wept during the sentencing hearing and declined to speak in court, the newspaper reported.

An investigation found no evidence that drugs or alcohol played a part in the crash, Julia Lawes, a Delaware Department of Justice spokesperson previously said.

Delaware police say Hubbard drove the wrong way on a Delaware highway when his pickup truck crashed into a minivan, killing the five New Jersey family members on July 6, 2018. His Ford F-350 pickup truck crossed a center median heading into oncoming traffic and struck the Trinidad family's minivan, authorities said.

Ballocanag and her attorney, Diane Lucianna said that, according to eyewitnesses, Hubbard was driving "crazily" before he crashed into the family's Toyota Sienna. Lucianna said the passenger in Hubbard's vehicle, identified by police as a man from Hurlock, Md., said that Hubbard may have experienced a medical episode that caused him to lose control of the truck and crash into other vehicles.

At the sentencing Ballocanag said eight surgeries have not restored full use of her legs and arms, and she is unable to return to work as a nurse.

“But my physical pain is nothing compared to the mental pain and anguish of losing my entire family," she said in court. Then she showed a photo of her family to Hubbard. “So when you look at your children, you will see the pieces of my children and my husband.”

Hubbard faced up to 14 years in prison and a $3,450 fine. If he violates the terms of his probation, a judge could then order him to time in prison.

Related: Wrong-Way MD Driver ID'd In Crash That Killed 5 Family Members

An investigation found no evidence that drugs or alcohol played a part in the crash, Julia Lawes, a Delaware Department of Justice spokesperson previously said.

A GoFundMe page set up for Ballocanag as she recuperates from her injuries has raised more than $300,000.

Hubbard was driving the truck on the southbound lanes when he hit a Mercury Sable, kept going, and then hit the Trinidad family's minivan in the northbound lanes, Lucianna said. The impact caused the Sable and minivan to leave the highway and end up in a ditch, police said.

Lucianna said Hubbard was using the Ford for work when the crash occurred. It was fully loaded with materials when it crossed over the grassy median and hit the family's vehicle.

His attorney, John Kirk, said Friday that Hubbard has a respiratory condition, called cough syncope, which caused him to cough violently while driving, swerve and then to pass out, Delaware Online said.

Audie Trinidad grew up in the Philippines and, in 1987, he came to the United States when he enlisted in the Navy and served for seven years, according to The Record. "He was proud to be an American," his brother, Danny, told the publication. "That's why he joined the Navy."

Linda Douglas, a family friend who created the GoFundMe page, told nj.com that the family always prioritized their children.

"Audie was the family dad, he was always the dad to pick everyone up in the minivan," Douglas told nj.com. "We traded off, but no matter whose sweet 16 it was you could always count on Audi."
Kaitlyn and Dana were both setters on the Teaneck High School head volleyball team, according to the publication. "They were both great players who were loved by all of their teammates," Teaneck head coach Sue Cipriano told nj.com.

Deb Belt contributed to this story