A man who was charged with first-degree assault and criminal vehicular operation after crashing into a mail truck last year was sentenced on Monday.
A criminal complaint says officers responded to an accident report on Dorchester Drive in Hoyt Lakes at about 10:53 a.m. on May 8, 2019. When officers arrived, witnesses said Birt had been driving his new 3/4 ton truck with a push bumper and winch. Witnesses told officers they thought the truck was “maxed out” judging by how the truck sounded as it came down the road, and one estimated the truck to have been going 80 mph when it struck the mail truck.
The collision ejected a mail carrier from the mail truck onto the road, seriously injuring the 55-year-old carrier, who suffered a life-threatening head injury, including a skull fracture and four broken ribs, according to police.
Police said Birt later admitted he was upset with USPS and intentionally crashed into the mail truck knowing a carrier was inside, the complaint states. When asked about the crash while he was at the hospital, Birt allegedly said, “Yeah, I killed that (expletive) useless mail carrier.” After officers said the crash didn’t kill the woman, Birt responded, “Well, someone should,” the complaint states.