Man Sentenced In Lansdowne Stroller Death Crash

LEESBURG, VA — A man indicted for killing a 5-month-old baby in a stroller when his SUV hit crashed into the baby and his mother in August 2016 was sentenced Thursday to a maximum 12 months in prison, fined $2,700 and ordered not to drive for a year.

"I would like to express my deepest apologies to the family," John Miller IV, 45, said Thursday in court. "Words cannot adequately describe the sadness and grief (I have) on a daily basis." He was sentenced for charges of reckless driving and failure to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk. An involuntary manslaughter charge was dropped several months ago, after which he pleaded no contest to reckless driving.

The accident happened around 8 a.m. Aug. 31 when Mindy Schulz was pushing her son, Tristan, across Riverside Parkway from Coton Manor Drive toward Kipheart Drive in Landsdowne. The two were in a marked crosswalk when they were struck by a 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The elder Schulz was seriously injured and spent time in the hospital.

According to multiple reports, she and her husband, Rod Schulz were in court Wednesday and Thursday along with many other supporters. Miller also had a contingent of supporters. His lawyers had argued for probation.

WTOP reported that when Loudoun County Circuit Judge Douglas Fleming handed down the sentence, he "called the crash a tragic accident but said Miller failed in his responsibility to be attentive while driving. The judge said that one year in jail is not justice or fair. But he said that’s all he could do under the law."

WRC reported that Minday Schulz told the court that, "I tried so hard to hold onto the stroller, to pull back, to save him. I felt the moment I wasn’t strong enough to save my baby; I felt the moment I failed as a mother. I never knew how heavy empty arms can be."

On Wednesday, Rod Schulz said that, according to WTOP, "We did not lose our son. He didn't 'pass on.' There was a 4,700-pound SUV that was collided into an 18-pound infant. There’s no justice that could possibly be found for ending my son's 5-month life."

Photo at site of crash taken Sept. 2, 2016, at noon courtesy: Dave Dulansey