Posted: April 18, 2014

Police investigating a fatal car accident were surprised to find out that the driver at fault was an inmate currently serving time in a Nebraska State Prison. He was not an escapee but was legally allowed to drive the state-owned van that killed a woman last June.

The inmate had been driving to pick up work-release inmates as part of a state-run inmate driving program. Witnesses near the scene reported seeing the driver speeding and swerving erratically.

The family of the woman filed a suit against the state that claimed negligence for allowing an inmate to get behind the wheel. After mediation, the two parties agreed to a settlement of $2 million. The inmate driving program has since been terminated.