The following article was posted on www.wisn.com
Witness Describes Crash That Killed School Administrator, Child
Mark Benson In Court For Preliminary Hearing
POSTED: 3:18 pm CDT May 16, 2008
WAUKESHA, Wis. -- Witnesses testified Friday at a preliminary hearing for a man accused of taking prescription pills and slamming his sport utility vehicle into another car.
Mark Benson is charged with killing a school administrator from Oconomowoc, her unborn child and her 10-year-old daughter.
Three weeks after the crash, the man accused of causing the fatal crash was in court -- face-to-face with others who were at the scene that afternoon.
Brianne Conway, 18, said she changed lanes when Benson's black SUV came up fast from behind.
"As soon as I moved to the right lane, that car hit her car. It like, there was nothing. It just hit it -- full on," Conway said.
Jennifer Bukosky was pregnant and had her two children and a family friend in the car.
Conway attended the school where Bukosky taught and refers to her by her maiden name as she described Benson's reaction to the crash.
"He looked really scared. He ran over, and he looked like he was looking back and forth from his car to Miss Bella's car. And he was trying to open her door," Conway said.
Benson was convicted a couple days before the crash of his third offense of driving under the influence and shouldn't have been behind the wheel.
After the crash, police said he showed no signs of using alcohol or drugs.
He underwent a voluntary blood test and told officers he took prescriptions under a doctor's order.
"He told me he had taken two in total -- one earlier in the day -- a hydrocodone, and I believe a Xanax, for a panic attack," Oconomowoc Police Department Detective Cris Harnish said.
As witnesses talked, Benson sat and listened, and so did Bukosky's family -- from the front row.
There are more witnesses to come. The preliminary hearing was put on hold, which means testimony picks back up in two weeks, according to 12 News reporter Patrick Paolantonio.
