Family seeks justice 3 years after distracted driving crash killed young son
TAMPA, Fla. - It's been a long three years for the Scherer family. In 2016, they were forced to deal with the loss of their little boy. Three years later, they are still stuck waiting and hoping that justice will be served against the man they believe could have prevented the accident in the first place by putting down his phone.
On September 15, 2016, the Scherer's life was flipped upside down. They were stuck in traffic on I-75 when a car crashed into them from behind going over 100 miles per hour. The man behind the wheel was Gregory Andriotis. Investigators said he was on his phone at the time of the crash surfing the internet, downloading apps and even making credit card payments.
That crash resulted in the death of 9-year-old Logan Scherer.
"Logan obviously had passed. I think I knew that the moment I saw him, but you know, as a mother, that's not something you want to believe until you're told," said Logan's mother Brooke Scherer as she recounted the tragedy.
Since the accident, the Scherer family has fought to make distracted driving laws stricter through their foundation Living for Logan. They hope that their efforts might save another family from dealing with the same heartbreak.
"As an organization, we want to see people do right by their kids. We want to see them setting better examples for their kids. If we don't hold ourselves up to a certain level of responsibility, then we're not doing right by them," said Jordan Scherer, Logan's father.
Since Logan's death, Florida has made it a law for drivers to be hands-free while behind the wheel. However, the law still allows drivers to talk on the phone, as long as it's through Bluetooth. This is something the Scherer family said can still prove distracting and dangerous.
A trial for Andriotis is set for next spring. According to the Scherer family's lawyer, it could be one of the first distracted driving trials in Florida.
Andriotis is currently facing multiple charges including vehicular homicide. If convicted of all charges, he could be sentenced to up to 30 years in prison.