Insets, from left: Joseph Traylor (Caldwell County Jail) and Terry Traylor (Morgan”s Funeral Home). Background: The 300 block of Beverly Lane in Princeton, Kentucky, where Traylor fatally crashed a motorcycle carrying his son Terry (Google Maps).
A Kentucky father has been sentenced to decades in prison after killing his 1-year-old son in a motorcycle crash while attempting a wheelie with the child strapped to his chest.
Joseph Traylor, 50, received a 20-year prison sentence Friday after pleading guilty to vehicular manslaughter while under the influence in the death of Terry Traylor, according to a courtroom report by local radio station WKDZ. He also admitted to reckless driving.
Traylor initially faced a murder charge, but prosecutors agreed to a plea deal in July that reduced the offense.
The crash occurred at about 6:45 p.m. on July 5, 2024, in the 300 block of Beverly Lane in Princeton, roughly 170 miles southwest of Louisville, police reported at the time.
Emergency responders transported Traylor and his son to a nearby hospital. Terry was later flown to a Nashville, Tennessee, hospital, where he died from his injuries.
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Police said their investigation found that Traylor was riding the motorcycle the wrong way on a one-way street with the 15-month-old secured to his chest. He was attempting a wheelie when he lost control and struck a telephone pole.
Images from Google Maps show that the roadway is narrow.
Traylor was arrested after he was released from the hospital.
According to WKDZ, prosecutors told the court that Terry’s death has deeply affected his family. Circuit Judge Jamus Redd described the case as a tragedy and said he hoped the sentence would help bring the family a measure of closure.
Terry’s obituary remembered him for an “infectious smile” that blessed everyone who knew him during his short life.
“Terry’s memory will be lovingly remembered by his devoted family,” the obituary said.
