Driver in Fatal Treat Williams Motorcycle Accident Charged With ‘Grossly Negligent Operation’

The man behind the wheel of the vehicle that crashed into Treat Williams’ motorcycle in June, leading to the veteran actor’s death, is facing charges related to the incident.

The Bennington County State’s Attorney’s office announced on Tuesday that it has finished its review of the June 12 crash and announced that Ryan M. Koss, who was driving the vehicle, has been charged with “grossly negligent operation with death,” in a news release on its website.

According to the release, Koss was contacted by Vermont State Police on Tuesday evening. “He voluntarily met with troopers at the Shaftsbury Barracks, where he was processed on the charge and released,” the release says. Koss is due to appear for arraignment on Sept. 25 in Vermont Superior Court in Bennington.

Koss, 35, of Dorset, was driving a “Honda Element SUV that turned into the path of Mr. Williams’ motorcycle,” the release says. The actor was critically injured in the crash and was pronounced dead at New York’s Albany Medical Center. “The Medical Examiner’s Office in New York determined that Mr. Williams died of severe trauma and blood loss as a result of the crash,” the release says.

The news of the charges connected to Williams’ death comes on the same day that his family -- wife, Pam Van Sant, whom he married in June 1988, and their two children, Elinor "Ellie", 24, and Gill, 31 – shared an image from his celebration of life ceremony on Williams’ official Instagram account.

“As time passes, the grief doesn’t get any easier, but life is fragile," the emotional caption began.

The message continued, "We are trying to live every day like it’s our last, and appreciate the time on this beautiful planet that we are lucky to call home. Here’s a picture from Treat’s Celebration of Life of the family 🤍"