Driver who pleaded guilty to deadly River Road crash sentenced to 12 years in prison

BETHESDA, Md. - The driver who pleaded guilty to three counts of vehicular manslaughter in a February crash that killed three members of the same family has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.

The judge sentenced Ogulcan Atakoglu to three, ten year sentences, suspending all but four years on each. The sentences are to be served consecutively.

Investigators say Atakoglu was driving on River Road in Bethesda on the night of February 27, 2016 when his vehicle struck a car that was driving in the opposite direction and was making a left hand turn onto Pyle Road.

52-year-old Michael Buarque De Macedo, his wife, 53-year-old Alessandra, and their 17-year-old son Tommy, were all killed in the crash. Their daughter, 15-year-old Helana, was seriously injured.

Atakoglu pleaded guilty in court over the summer. He had been held in jail on 'no bond' since his arrest.

The family was heading to a school play at Walt Whitman High School when they were involved in the deadly crash.

In the aftermath of the crash, thousands have signed an online petition calling for the installation of traffic signals at the intersection of Rover Road and Pyle Road.