Idaho man appeals lifetime driving ban

BOISE – A man who was convicted of vehicular manslaughter after he ran over a child who had been sitting on his front bumper will get a chance to argue that a lifetime suspension of his driver’s license is excessive.

Teddy Lynn Edghill was convicted in eastern Idaho’s Bear Lake County after the 1997 death of a child who had been riding on the front bumper of Edghill’s Jeep. He was placed on probation after spending a short time in a prison treatment program, and his driver’s license was suspended for life.

Edghill told the Idaho Court of Appeals that he believes a provision barring him from asking to have his license reinstated is illegal. The court agreed that the sentence was illegal in part, and now Edghill’s driving privileges will be the subject of a new sentencing hearing in 6th District Court.

According to the ruling handed down Friday, the accident happened when Edghill was driving a Jeep with several children riding on the front bumper. One of the children either jumped or fell off, according to the court document, and was run over by the vehicle. The child died a short time later from the injuries suffered in the accident, and Edghill ultimately pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter.

The judge sentenced Edghill to six years in prison but then retained jurisdiction, telling Edghill that if he completed the treatment program he would be able to serve the remainder of his sentence on probation. The judge also suspended Edghill’s driver’s license for life.