Discussion with my wife regarding a local crash
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#27
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Miss Drunk Murderer just destroyed a family. She will not enjoy her time in the concrete hotel, which is where she belongs.
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Wrong is wrong no matter who commits the wrong. These day too many people want to make the wrong doer a victim.
An example of this is some young hoodlum goes out and shoots someone and shoots at the police that return fire and kills him. Then we hear from the parents that failed him. They tell us he was really a wonderful person and was turning him self around. They tell us he was getting his GED and was going to to to college to be a brain surgeon, so the police should never have shot him.
An example of this is some young hoodlum goes out and shoots someone and shoots at the police that return fire and kills him. Then we hear from the parents that failed him. They tell us he was really a wonderful person and was turning him self around. They tell us he was getting his GED and was going to to to college to be a brain surgeon, so the police should never have shot him.
well the guy PROBABLY was a bike messenger with a good mind who had a few issues with authorities and was usually strapped because of peer pressure and even tho he was on his 3x GED course he was going to make it this time and since brain surgery was lucrative and because he couldn't run 4.2 or jump out of the gym medicine was his only option out of the projects plus his absent father had probably just paroled and had encouraged him to give up bike messaging because it was a gateway to crime and drugs which all goes to show that bike messengers are always on the brink of self destruction and the cops are always ready to assist
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Another issue that may come into play is that we call collisions "accidents," thus implying a simple no fault mistake rather than what they really are... collisions by drivers failing to maintain their responsibility.
https://www.helpinginjuredpeople.com...experts-argue/
https://www.helpinginjuredpeople.com...experts-argue/
Collision means there was an incident which should be investigated.
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#31
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In my second post above, I mention that I was mistaken about the custody thing - it turns out that the kid's dad is more or less MIA, and the mom has custody. The kid was with the grandmother at the time of the incident. At any rate, it's not all that relevant to the incident, other than just more victims of the mom's poor decisions.
I was finally able to track down a bit more information about the victims. The cyclist who was hospitalized died of his injuries about two weeks later, so the charge becomes vehicular homicide. I've seen conflicting information on what the difference in possible sentences is - some places say 0-6 years, and some say up to 15 years (with enhancements for prior DWIs, which won't apply in this case). Without getting into too much detail, it sounds like a six-year sentence is likely, though as I understand it (I'm an engineer, not a lawyer, so take anything I saw about the justice system with a BIG grain of salt) in state prison that can be cut essentially in half for good behavior. Seems pretty light for killing an innocent bystander in a hit-and-run DWI, if you ask me.
I was finally able to track down a bit more information about the victims. The cyclist who was hospitalized died of his injuries about two weeks later, so the charge becomes vehicular homicide. I've seen conflicting information on what the difference in possible sentences is - some places say 0-6 years, and some say up to 15 years (with enhancements for prior DWIs, which won't apply in this case). Without getting into too much detail, it sounds like a six-year sentence is likely, though as I understand it (I'm an engineer, not a lawyer, so take anything I saw about the justice system with a BIG grain of salt) in state prison that can be cut essentially in half for good behavior. Seems pretty light for killing an innocent bystander in a hit-and-run DWI, if you ask me.
#32
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Car brain really warps people’s thought patterns. It’s all “whoopsie, didn’t see them. So sorry.”
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Is being deployed for a year before the divorce a good enough reason to strip a person from having parental time with their children? I lost custody of my children along with all parental rights only because I had been in the military and separated from my kids due to a deployment.
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While my wife didn't express contempt for cyclists that "get in her way," she did say she wished they didn't ride there because they make it hard for her. That cyclists or anyone else on the road make it harder, however much or little, for motorists is probably objective fact if the motorist is willing to give regard to the cyclist, pedestrian or other motorist. Yes, additional effort is demanded from the motorist to exercise due care.
At best, drivers are told what they can't do. But never instructed on what they can.
And what if any social or legal obligation the overtaken cyclist has, is also unclear.
It would in some ways be a drop in the ocean, but I really wish a state DOT would put a page in the manual with a half dozen cartoon diagrams, things like:
"This stretch of road is narrow and curving, so the motorist will have to wait before passing the cyclist"
"Here the road is wider, the cyclist should move over to facilitate passing"
"Here the road is narrow, but though visibility is insufficient to pass another car, in [this state] the driver may legally enter the other lane to pass a cyclist, though that is not permitted in other states"
"Here the road is wide, but there's a garbage can / tree branch / drain gate blocking it, the cyclist can't move over and the motorist must wait"
And potentially (though no one really knows if it's true) "Here the road is narrow, but there are so many vehicles behind the cyclist that they'll need to momentarily stop on the unpaved margin"
There are next to no official statements of these things, so everyone is left to figure it out on their own, and easily gets frustrated with others who refuse to play by their personal interpretation of the rules.
And I don't just mean the utterly bogus interpretations, I mean the wide range of interpretation that are not inconsistent with the actual laws.
Last edited by UniChris; 08-29-22 at 10:25 AM.
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I agree there needs to be information about multiple road users. And, I would like driving tests to be written so that one can get whatever the passing grade is, 70% or 80%, but there are certain VETO questions, especially pertaining to vulnerable road users. Get those wrong and it is an instant fail.
However, if a cyclist changes the lane of travel, they MUST assure it is safe, and even signal to a vehicle behind that they're moving over. This would be especially true when riding in a parking lane and approaching a parked car. Verify it is safe to pass the parked car.
I'd rather garbage cans not be placed where cyclists are riding. Do they place them in the middle of driving lanes?How many cars? It is rare that I let more than one or two cars follow me. It often doesn't take much to let them get past. Sometimes one can just slow down in a driveway, and they'll pass by the time on gets across the driveway.
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Wrong is wrong no matter who commits the wrong. These day too many people want to make the wrong doer a victim.
An example of this is some young hoodlum goes out and shoots someone and shoots at the police that return fire and kills him. Then we hear from the parents that failed him. They tell us he was really a wonderful person and was turning him self around. They tell us he was getting his GED and was going to to to college to be a brain surgeon, so the police should never have shot him.
An example of this is some young hoodlum goes out and shoots someone and shoots at the police that return fire and kills him. Then we hear from the parents that failed him. They tell us he was really a wonderful person and was turning him self around. They tell us he was getting his GED and was going to to to college to be a brain surgeon, so the police should never have shot him.
This really turns into what should be another posting....
I have never understood the custom of having "nothing bad to say" about a (bad) person after they pass. Suddenly because they have died all the bad deeds and horrible behaviors are washed clean and they are sainted.
I went to a funeral not too long ago of a guy that I shared a common interest with. We shared a lot of time together, along with others on a team together. He was very good at this interest and we had some fun times. All in all though, he was not a particularly good person. He had been in trouble with the law, was prone to fighting and much more. The time came during the service for people to walk up and discuss (good) things about him and for the most part the entire crowd just sort of looked around at each other and the moment passed. Not much to stand up and say in that regard, so no one did.
#38
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There certainly is something that riding on road shoulders one has to deal with debris. And, one may choose to ride further to the left than vehicle drivers might wish.
However, if a cyclist changes the lane of travel, they MUST assure it is safe, and even signal to a vehicle behind that they're moving over. This would be especially true when riding in a parking lane and approaching a parked car. Verify it is safe to pass the parked car.
However, if a cyclist changes the lane of travel, they MUST assure it is safe, and even signal to a vehicle behind that they're moving over. This would be especially true when riding in a parking lane and approaching a parked car. Verify it is safe to pass the parked car.
The point was that the situational requirements of behavior need to be clearly communicated to both drivers and cyclists - the law is silent on far too much that's practically critical.
So for example for the trash can, I didn't talk about the cyclist moving left, I was using that as a situation to illustrate to a driver why the cyclist could not move right from their current position in order to facilitate the pass.
(That I was discussing the lack of rightward movement rather than the execution of a leftward ones is because a smart cyclist is looking far forward for such things, and not trying to move left at the last instant, plus they're probably riding a bit further out for visibility until there's a car approaching to overtake anyway)
I'd rather garbage cans not be placed where cyclists are riding.
How many cars? It is rare that I let more than one or two cars follow me. It often doesn't take much to let them get past. Sometimes one can just slow down in a driveway, and they'll pass by the time on gets across the driveway.
Devising safe strategies for cycling is a whole different conversation, my post was about the need for a shared set of expectations between drivers and cyclists and specifically one that instructed what to do, and not simply what not to.
Last edited by UniChris; 08-29-22 at 11:30 AM.
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The cyclist who was hospitalized died of his injuries about two weeks later, so the charge becomes vehicular homicide.
I've seen conflicting information on what the difference in possible sentences is - some places say 0-6 years, and some say up to 15 years (with enhancements for prior DWIs, which won't apply in this case). Without getting into too much detail, it sounds like a six-year sentence is likely, though as I understand it
I've seen conflicting information on what the difference in possible sentences is - some places say 0-6 years, and some say up to 15 years (with enhancements for prior DWIs, which won't apply in this case). Without getting into too much detail, it sounds like a six-year sentence is likely, though as I understand it
Ultimately there was no intent to go out and kill someone so this was an "accident". But it followed a string of poor choices made by the driver. Driving while intoxicated. Leaving the scene. Lying about the accident. etc.
I'm not sure justice will be served with the woman sitting in jail for a half a dozen years and the kid growing up without a mother.
On the other hand, killing someone should never be taken lightly. And, what about the victim's family?
I'd advocate for short jail time. Months? Time served?
But, be mandated to be "clean and sober", with regular random drug tests. Fail a drug test, and it is to the slammer. Not 0.08... but say 0.01... Not even alcohol mouthwash!!!
Take away the driver's license for a very long time. She can deal with bicycles, buses, and taxis.
She also needs to support her family. But, she should be given A LOT OF COMMUNITY SERVICE. Perhaps in the thousands of hours spread out over several years.
Restitution? How much is a life worth?
Life as a single mother is hard. But, life as a DWI Vehicular Homicide single mother should take an extreme amount of work to make it up.
And, the government shouldn't just step in and pay her for her hardships.
#40
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A lack of intent doesn't make it an accident. It's called negligence. What's more, there is a difference between sole negligence and gross negligence. Sole negligence is just carelessness or inattentiveness. Gross negligence is a reckless or deliberate disregard for the reasonable treatment or safety of others. The collision doesn't have to be intentional for the disregard of reasonable treatment and safety of others to be deliberate. A person doesn't just inadvertently make the string of bad decisions to get drunk, drive, flee the scene of a crash where someone was injured, and then lie about it when questioned. Those things were all deliberate.
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Please consult a dictionary, as you are simply wrong about the meaning of the word.
The minute you insist on misusing words, you cease to be able to have a meaningful conversation with those who use their correct definition.
The minute you insist on misusing words, you cease to be able to have a meaningful conversation with those who use their correct definition.
Last edited by UniChris; 08-29-22 at 01:56 PM.
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#42
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I'm only disingenuously entertaining the exchange of sentiments with a pedant of digressive vocabulary. I never intended anything meaningful, so if it appeared that way it was by accident. I'll go bury my head in the QED as penance.
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Um, yes it does. Unless you intend on running over someone, then it's accidental. It can only be intentional or accidental. I totally agree with you on the negligence issue, though, but negligence isn't always intentional, either.
#45
Full Member
It's not the collision that isn't accidental. You can't get drunk accidentally. You can't then accidentally drive your car. You can't accidentally leave the scene of a collision. You can't accidentally lie about it when questioned. Those things are not an accident. Whether they were intentional or not doesn't bear on the fact that they constituted gross negligence.
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How they manage to ignore the fact that, to the rest of the world, they themselves are ”other people” too I will never understand.
Anyhow, occasionally an event comes along that strikes so close to home - this could have been me - that it pops that bubble, that feeling of immunity. It can be quite upsetting, unnerving and will often release a considerable amount of emotions. Can be sympathy, can be something else.
#47
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To call these collisions is objectively accurate. To call them accidents is subjective until further evidence accrues. Even if you're a direct witness to the collision and the driver claims they didn't mean to do it, you can't call it an accident yet because you can't read their mind. The driver could be lying. How many parents here have witnessed their young child do something bad right in front of them only to hear the child say it was an accident? They lied straight to your face because deception is an ingrained part of our biological drive for self preservation. The key difference is that children are terrible liars, whereas grown adults have been around the block and learned to be better at it. I can accept the claim of "accident" if someone bumps into me in the hallway since the level of harm, if any, is extremely minimal. However, when somebody kills another human being with their multi-ton vehicle, I think it's reasonable to demand more than a hall pass and a note from Mom. We don't take this accident stance when one person shoots and kills another. We automatically assume the worst and wait for the investigation to reveal whether or not there was intent. Even in the absence of intent, we don't let the perpetrator off the hook if there was gross negligence. Yet, when motor vehicles kill the same amount of Americans annually as firearms, somehow we're willing to accept at face value that it was an accident.
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#48
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I'm a little divided on all this.
Ultimately there was no intent to go out and kill someone so this was an "accident". But it followed a string of poor choices made by the driver. Driving while intoxicated. Leaving the scene. Lying about the accident. etc.
I'm not sure justice will be served with the woman sitting in jail for a half a dozen years and the kid growing up without a mother.
On the other hand, killing someone should never be taken lightly. And, what about the victim's family?
I'd advocate for short jail time. Months? Time served?
But, be mandated to be "clean and sober", with regular random drug tests. Fail a drug test, and it is to the slammer. Not 0.08... but say 0.01... Not even alcohol mouthwash!!!
Take away the driver's license for a very long time. She can deal with bicycles, buses, and taxis.
She also needs to support her family. But, she should be given A LOT OF COMMUNITY SERVICE. Perhaps in the thousands of hours spread out over several years.
Restitution? How much is a life worth?
Life as a single mother is hard. But, life as a DWI Vehicular Homicide single mother should take an extreme amount of work to make it up.
And, the government shouldn't just step in and pay her for her hardships.
Ultimately there was no intent to go out and kill someone so this was an "accident". But it followed a string of poor choices made by the driver. Driving while intoxicated. Leaving the scene. Lying about the accident. etc.
I'm not sure justice will be served with the woman sitting in jail for a half a dozen years and the kid growing up without a mother.
On the other hand, killing someone should never be taken lightly. And, what about the victim's family?
I'd advocate for short jail time. Months? Time served?
But, be mandated to be "clean and sober", with regular random drug tests. Fail a drug test, and it is to the slammer. Not 0.08... but say 0.01... Not even alcohol mouthwash!!!
Take away the driver's license for a very long time. She can deal with bicycles, buses, and taxis.
She also needs to support her family. But, she should be given A LOT OF COMMUNITY SERVICE. Perhaps in the thousands of hours spread out over several years.
Restitution? How much is a life worth?
Life as a single mother is hard. But, life as a DWI Vehicular Homicide single mother should take an extreme amount of work to make it up.
And, the government shouldn't just step in and pay her for her hardships.
#49
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This occurred in 2015, I gave my 2010 Subaru Forester to my grandchild for her first car. I had babied that car for four years. Before she was of age, a cell phone distracted teen driving an SUV plowed into my daughter. So, she never got to enjoy the Suby. Yes, it was insured and all, but that does not replace the disappointment.
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Mistake, accident, negligence, whatever. Semantics. Our opinions don't make a bit of difference to the legal system.