WASHINGTON — The driver who hit and killed a U.S. diplomat while she was riding her bike in Bethesda has been sentenced to 150 hours of community service and ordered to pay a $2,000 fine.
Sarah Joan Langenkamp, 42, was riding her bike in Bethesda, Maryland on August 25, 2022, when she was hit by a flatbed truck on River Road. At the time, officers with the Montgomery County Department of Police said Langenkamp was in the bike lane when the driver turned into a parking lot and ran her over.
Langenkamp was a wife, mother and State Department employee of 17 years. She had just returned to the country with her family after escaping the war in Ukraine.
On Monday, the driver, 52-year-old Santos Ruderis Reyes Martinez, pleaded guilty to a traffic offense for causing serious injury or death to a vulnerable individual while operating a motor vehicle. This offense is "non-incarcerable," which means it is not punishable by jail or prison time, only by a fine.
After pleading guilty, Judge Eugene Wolfe sentenced Martinez to the maximum penalty under Maryland law, which is a $2,000 fine and 150 hours of community service. Additionally, the MVA will determine the length of time for driver’s license suspension.
“Our deepest condolences to the family of Sarah Langenkamp for their immeasurable loss. Current laws in many ways do not give substantial protections to victims struck by vehicles. As legislative liaison for the Maryland State’s Attorneys’ Association, I would welcome any discussion and examine any changes proposed to the legislature. We share concerns about keeping our community members safe on the roads,” said State’s Attorney John McCarthy.
The husband of a State Department employee killed while riding her bicycle in Bethesda, Maryland has started a campaign to improve roadway safety conditions.