Truck driver pleads not guilty in fatal collision

BRATTLEBORO, Vt. (AP) - A truck driver has pleaded not guilty to a charge in a collision resulting in the death of a car passenger in Vermont.

Police say 34-year-old Steven Morin, of Richmond, New Hampshire, was driving a flatbed truck last year in Dummerston that hit a car. A passenger, 88-year-old Charlene Higgins, of Newfane, died.

The Brattleboro Reformer reports (https://bit.ly/2p8rBB5) Morin pleaded not guilty in court Tuesday. His lawyer said he didn’t believe there was enough probable cause to file a felony charge of gross negligent operation of a vehicle resulting in a death.

A police affidavit doesn’t indicate why Morin might have had his eyes off the road. There is no evidence presented that he was using a hand-held device, or that he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.