BROOKSVILLE, Fla. — A man who was using apps on his phone when his car slammed into stopped traffic on Interstate 75 in Florida in 2016 was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Thursday. The crash killed 9-year-old Logan Scherer and critically injured his parents and younger sister.
Gregory Andriotis, 39, was found guilty in April of one count of vehicular homicide and three counts of reckless driving.
Witnesses said Andriotis was on his cellphone and using multiple apps before crashing into the stopped cars in a traffic jam in Brooksville, Florida. Investigators asserted Andriotis was surfing the web, installing phone apps and possibly even making a credit card payment at the time of the crash.
The Scherer family moved to Greenwood from the Tampa area after the crash. They started the Living for Logan Foundation to eliminate distracted driving through education and legislation.
"We don't want anybody else to have to walk in the shoes that we do," said Jordan Scherer, Logan's father, during a 2020 interview with 13News. "We wouldn't wish this on our worst enemy. It's — for lack of a better way to put it — it's hell. It's hell on a regular basis to continue taking the steps forward."
The family helped push for a hands-free driving law in Indiana, making it illegal to drive while holding a mobile device.
Drivers found in violation of the Indiana law will be cited and can face fines up to $500, and points could be assessed to the offender's driver's license.
