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 with his son during a motorcycle stunt (Google Maps).
A Kentucky father has been sentenced to decades in prison after killing his 15-month-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 his son, Terry Traylor, according to a courtroom report by local radio station WKDZ. He also pleaded guilty to reckless driving.
Traylor initially faced a murder charge, but prosecutors agreed in July to a plea deal on the lesser offense.
The crash occurred at about 6:45 p.m. on July 5, 2024, in the 300 block of Beverly Lane in Princeton, a city roughly 170 miles southwest of Louisville, police said at the time.
Emergency responders took 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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“The investigation revealed that Traylor was operating a motorcycle with a 15-month-old strapped to his chest, driving the wrong way on a one-way street, and attempting a wheelie before losing control of the motorcycle and striking a telephone pole,” police wrote.
Google Maps images show that the roadway is narrow.
Police arrested Traylor after he was released from the hospital.
Prosecutors told WKDZ that Terry’s death has deeply affected the family. Circuit Judge Jamus Redd described the case as a tragedy and said he hoped the sentence would help bring the family closure.
Terry’s obituary said his “infectious smile was a blessing to all who knew him during his brief journey on earth.”
“Terry’s memory will be lovingly remembered by his devoted family,” the obituary reads.