Oh. My. God. Because the only charge against you if you hit a bicylist and KILL HIM because you are DOWNLOADING RING TONES WHILE DRIVING will result in a $1000 fine and driver’s school??!?! Seriously, isn’t there at least some kind of unintentional murder or killing type of rule? I have to admit, I’m amazed that the only thing was improper use of a lane. A cylist IN A BIKE LANE dies. Not from being clipped, but from being hit BY THE DRIVERS SIDE OF THE CAR since the girl was so far off the road.
As for the girl, PLEASE WAKE UP! You are 19 and this is your 4th driving offense! (1 red light running and 2 speeding tickets, one about 5 weeks before she hit the guy).
*sigh*
(I found this through a cycling community blog, and am definitely shocked at the penalties. I guess it’s not that uncommon for that type of punishment with the death of just a cyclist. After all, we all know it’s really always the cyclist’s fault. At least runners seem to be a bit more protected legally…)
That’s disgusting. They should make all their DAs ride bikes to work and then see if they change their mind. Not reckless, my a$$.
Apparently it has to do with the laws in IL being different… and that apparently there is no law on the books between traffic violation” and “willfull damage” … and this didn’t count as willful so got a traffic violation (since the person hit was on a bike and so counts as a vehicle). *sigh* I’m still amazed though. Esp cause the girl who hit him has a blog and posted about how people are judging her now and how sad that is…and about her dating life. I think if it was me my posts would be a LOT more distressed.
Words cannot explain my emotions after reading something like this Kylie. A cold chill ran through me as I read this as did the memories of my hit. God be with him. Let’s be careful out there.
Wow. Something has to get changed there. I’m not sure what the laws in MO are like regarding that. Hope they are ready for the civil suit they are sure to get.
Unfortunately my understanding is that a civil suit would only result in money to the family, and no other punishment to the girl… Although perhaps a huge monitary thing is a punishment she would feel.
I’m sure if my record was like that my parents wouldn’t have let me keep driving. And if I did anyways and something like that happened, I’m sure they would have been consoling the guy’s family instead of me.