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A Vermont man pleaded guilty in Bennington, Vermont, to a reduced charge in the June 12, 2023 crash that killed actor Treat Williams.
Ryan Koss, 35, accepted a plea to negligent driving resulting in death. He was given a one-year deferred sentence and will have his driver’s license revoked for one year. He also must complete a community-based restorative justice program for the misdemeanor charge.
Koss, who knew Williams, was making a left turn in a parking lot in a Honda pickup truck on June 12. He failed to see Williams’ oncoming motorcycle, causing a collision.
Williams, 71, was wearing a helmet but suffered critical injuries and was airlifted to Albany Medical Center in Albany, New York, where he was pronounced dead, police said.
After the accident, Koss called Williams’ wife to tell her what happened. Bennington County State’s Attorney Erica Marthage said Koss from the beginning took responsibility for the crash.
At Friday’s hearing, Koss apologized and offered his condolences to Williams’ family and fans.
“I am here to apologize and take responsibility for this tragic accident,” he told the court.
Williams’ son Gill, 32, spoke directly to Koss, whom he had met before the accident. The family did not want to press charges or have Koss go to prison, he said.
“I forgive you and I hope you forgive yourself,” he said. But he also added that “I really wish you hadn’t killed my father. “I really had to say that.”
Gill Williams said her father was “everything” to her family and an extraordinary person who lived life to the fullest, and now it is difficult to know how to move forward.
His father had given him the motorcycle the day before the accident and he was “the safest person in the world,” Gill Williams said.
Pam Williams said in her statement that it was a tragic accident and that she hopes Koss can forgive himself.
“Our lives will never be the same, our family has been torn apart and there is a huge void that cannot be filled,” Pam Williams wrote in her statement.
Koss originally pleaded not guilty to one felony count of grossly negligent operation resulting in death. If he had been convicted of that charge, he could have been sentenced to up to 15 years in prison.
Williams was honored last week for his television show, Blue Bloods. He had a career spanning nearly 50 years in more than 120 film and television roles.