Plea negotiations in the case of a man who allegedly drunkenly stole a delivery truck and crashed it into an MTA bus, killing a bus driver, have broken down and the case will now go to trial, authorities said.
Dominic Whilby, 23, was charged with murder and driving drunk for allegedly killing bus driver William Pena in the 2014 crash in Manhattan's Greenwich Village.
Whilby's lawyer Thursday rejected a plea deal that reportedly would have sent him to prison for 14 to 28 years.
"I understand that the wheels of justice move extremely slow, but even after two years, we're still here fighting strong," Pena's widow, Nancy Pena, said outside of Manhattan Criminal Court Thursday.
Whilby allegedly stole the truck from a business on 16th Street at about on Feb. 12, 2014, and drove it down Seventh Avenue, where he crashed into the M14 bus that was going east on 14th Street.The force of the crash sent the bus and truck careening into scaffolding on the southeast corner of the intersection.
Pena was killed in the collision.
A passenger on the bus was also injured, along with a person riding a scooter who was hit by the truck before it slammed into the bus, police said.
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Whilby is due back in court May 4, when a trial date is expected to be set.
