Ridge Hannemann Alkonis was born on 1988 and is a United States Navy lieutenant who caused a fatal car crash in Fujinomiya in May 2021 that resulted in the deaths of two Japanese citizens.
15 Facts About Ridge Alkonis
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The Ridge Alkonis case has strained bilateral ties between the United States and Japan.
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On May 29,2021, Ridge Alkonis was driving his wife and three children back from a day trip to Mt.
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Ridge Alkonis fell asleep behind the wheel and drifted across the oncoming traffic lane and into a restaurant parking lot, crashing into several parked vehicles and pedestrians.
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Two occupants of the minivan Ridge Alkonis was driving received extensive care at a hospital for neck and back pain.
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Ridge Alkonis pled guilty to negligent driving in hopes of receiving a suspended sentence.
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Ridge Alkonis wrote letters of apology and paid the bereaved families more than 160 million yen in extrajudicial restitution to the victims' families.
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Ridge Alkonis stated that his wife Brittany had been feeling nauseated from the changes in elevation, leading her to lean her seat back and doze off shortly before the accident.
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Five minutes later, Ridge Alkonis said, he began to talk with one of his children when he "lost his memory" and the crash ensued.
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The panel stated that Ridge Alkonis was negligent in falling asleep and failing to stop the car when he felt drowsy.
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Ridge Alkonis did not appeal the High Court's decision and was imprisoned beginning in September 2022.
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The main evidence came from a screening Ridge Alkonis underwent as part of a Navy evaluation done a full month after the accident.
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In December 2022, Navy Times reported on the withdrawal of Ridge Alkonis' pay and benefits by the US Navy:.
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Ridge Alkonis had relied on unused leave and other time off to avoid being cut off from his military salary sooner.
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Ridge Alkonis' imprisonment has caused tensions in US-Japan relations, amid growing US pressure to release Ridge Alkonis from Japanese custody.