Fox News – A grieving family says Colorado law let a texting driver off easy and failed their son, who was killed while crossing the street.
In August 2023, the lives of the Stratton family were forever changed when their 10-year-old son, Oliver, or “Ollie,” was struck and killed by a woman who was texting while driving.
“She was texting while driving on that day that she killed our son,” Clarissa Stratton told Fox News Digital.
“One text message nearly every 22 seconds for over a half hour on repeat,” she said.
In August 2023, he took his bike to ride around the neighborhood. His parents said he was two-thirds done crossing the street when a car barreled into him.
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“In Colorado, because this was charged as a traffic misdemeanor, they classify texting and driving as careless behavior instead of reckless, even though it is a purposeful choice.” – Clarissa Stratton
He later died in the hospital.
The driver who killed Oliver was Amy Weiss, a local middle school teacher. It was later revealed that the 54-year-old had been texting nearly every 22 seconds in the half hour leading up to the crash.
A woman convicted of hitting and killing 10-year-old Oliver “Ollie” Stratton was sentenced to one year in jail, the maximum penalty allowed under Colorado law. (Provided by the Stratton family)
On March 7, 2025, she was sentenced for careless driving resulting in death and tampering with evidence. She received the maximum penalty allowed under Colorado law: one year, served concurrently with a 364-day sentence.
Weiss was granted work release, meaning she serves her time at a facility but can leave for work, church or appointments. She also, according to the Strattons, successfully petitioned the court to attend her daughter’s out-of-state graduation.
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“Every important moment of my child’s life is over. And the judge didn’t want her to miss her daughter’s graduation,” she said …