Driver accused of gross negligence in crash that killed actor Treat Williams

DORSET, Vt. — A Vermont driver accused of causing a crash that killed actor Treat Williams has been cited for grossly negligent operation causing death, officials said.

An investigation of the June 12 crash in Dorset concluded a vehicle pulled in front of Williams, who was riding a motorcycle and was unable to avoid a collision, Vermont State Police said Tuesday.

Williams was critically injured in the crash and airlifted to Albany Medical Center in New York, where he was later pronunced dead. His official cause of death was determined by the medical examiner as "severe trauma and blood loss as a result of the crash," state police said. 

The driver who was cited, Ryan Koss, 35, of Dorset, was processed Tuesday evening and released ahead of a late September arraignment, state police said. A court official couldn’t say whether Koss had a lawyer, and Koss didn’t immediately return an email message seeking comment.

Williams was 71 years old. The Connecticut-born actor, whose full name was Richard Treat Williams, lived in Manchester Center in southern Vermont, police said.

"He was an actor's actor. Filmmakers loved him. He's been the heart of the Hollywood since the late 1970s," Williams' agent, Barry McPherson, told People magazine soon after the actor's death. "He was really proud of his performance this year. He's been so happy with the work that I got him. He's had a balanced career."

The actor's nearly 50-year career included starring roles in the TV series “Everwood” and the movie “Hair.” He appeared in more than 120 TV and film roles, including the movies “The Eagle Has Landed,” “Prince of the City” and “Once Upon a Time in America.”