Geisinger South holding free stroke support group

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Happy birthday Colin Jacob Siegel!

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; A city man who last year caused a deadly crash after falling asleep at the wheel was sentenced to six months probation Monday backed largely by a plea for mercy from the victim&#8217;s family.</p><p>Adam Zawatsky, 23, of Kidder Street, dozed off while driving southbound on Route 309 near the Dallas Mobile Home Park in April 2016, veered across the center line and collided with a sedan driven by 57-year-old Wyoming County man Joseph Gianuzzi, who died at the scene.</p><p>Zawatsky, who had no prior criminal record, previously pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, a first-degree misdemeanor. According to state law, a first-degree misdemeanor carries a term of up to five years in prison.</p><p>Zawatsky&#8217;s attorney, Nanda Palissery, said his client&#8217;s future would likely look much different if not for the graciousness of Gianuzzi&#8217;s family.</p><p>&#8220;This is a tragedy all around,&#8221; Palissery said after the hearing. &#8220;It was clearly an accident. There was no intent on his part to cause any harm to anybody, and the victim&#8217;s family understood that, they saw that, and saw fit to forgive him for that.&#8221;</p><p>Noting Zawatsky was still a young man, Palissery said his client must go on living with the pain of what happened for the rest of his life. He couldn&#8217;t have been more sorry for what he caused, Palissery added.</p><p>His remorse apparently struck Gianuzzi&#8217;s family, who penned a letter to Luzerne County Judge Michael T. Vough asking for leniency and then reiterated their wish in court Monday. The gesture won&#8217;t be lost on Zawatsky, Palissery said.</p><p>&#8220;It was an extraordinary case, extraordinary outcome, and an extraordinary position taken by the victim&#8217;s family that you can just see what caliber of people they are,&#8221; Palissery said.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Joe Dolinsky</p><p>jdolinsky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Joe Dolinsky at 570-991-6110 or on Twitter @JoeDolinskyTL</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Victim’s family ‘saw fit to forgive’ Wilkes-Barre man who caused deadly crash