Only 1 year in jail for killing bicyclist (house, live)

[eastcoastbias]

I don’t know all of the facts here about the driver and the biker but if any of these Distracted driving, alcohol involved, excessive speeding - this sentence and even a harsher sentence are justified. If you have a case of legal yet somewhat bad driving I don’t think a year in jail is the remedy for this situation. And There really isn’t a fix here.

I think I’d rather swim in a shark infested pool of water than take a bike on our roads. On one side you have bad car drivers and bad circumstances on our roads but When I see bicyclist magnify the risk by riding wide in packs, running lights and stops signs, not signaling I lose the protection sympathy that many folks just freely give here.
The open air is great, so is a Pelaton, so is mountain biking. This story and many others just create a reminder about the risk being too great IMO

[Jenkay]

Originally Posted by eastcoastbias

When I see bicyclist magnify the risk by riding wide in packs, running lights and stops signs, not signaling I lose the protection sympathy that many folks just freely give here.

I ride on our streets all the time and statements like this scare the crap out of me. people do stupid sh*t in their cars CONSTANTLY. Bicyclists are generally no better or worse (go sit at an intersection sometime and see how many cars actually stop at a stop sign. Hint: about 10% of them) but somehow I only ever hear (non-bike riding) people say this about bicyclists.

[ZeApelido]

I cycle and have been hit by cars multiple times. Lucky to be alive.

Most drivers border on carelessness, but leaving the scene, and even worse, intentional road rage are the worst offenders. They should be punished much more forcefully.

This lady seems quite apologetic, legitimately affected by what she has done, stayed at the scene, etc... all the right things. If anyone should be let off more easily for killing a cyclist, it would seem to be this kind of case.

[sprez33]

Originally Posted by Jenkay

I ride on our streets all the time and statements like this scare the crap out of me. people do stupid sh*t in their cars CONSTANTLY. Bicyclists are generally no better or worse (go sit at an intersection sometime and see how many cars actually stop at a stop sign. Hint: about 10% of them) but somehow I only ever hear (non-bike riding) people say this about bicyclists.

Do you have insurance??

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Originally Posted by sprez33

Do you have insurance??

For someone killing me? Ya, but I'd rather everyone out there not drive while under the influence, which by the way, this woman did. You need to be sharp when driving, not intoxicated, using "medication" or being stoned. Is that too much to ask?

Killing someone, even if an accident, should have implications and consequences otherwise no law is going to work. Sorry I shot you, it was an accident. Sorry I ran you over, I was tired. These are straight up BS excuses.

If I t-bone you with my 1 ton truck because I'm tired, and kill you, are you ok with that?

[sprez33]

Originally Posted by 1AngryTaxPayer

For someone killing me? Ya, but I'd rather everyone out there not drive while under the influence, which by the way, this woman did. You need to be sharp when driving, not intoxicated, using "medication" or being stoned. Is that too much to ask?

Killing someone, even if an accident, should have implications and consequences otherwise no law is going to work. Sorry I shot you, it was an accident. Sorry I ran you over, I was tired. These are straight up BS excuses.

If I t-bone you with my 1 ton truck because I'm tired, and kill you, are you ok with that?

I guess I meant to ask if you carry insurance in case you're involved in an accident on your bike and need medical care, or if you hurt someone else, given the inherent danger.

I disagree with you on "killing". Roads with cars, motorcycles, bikes etc are inherently dangerous and one assumes risk by entering. There will be accidents that do not necessarily involve negligence and there need not necessarily be a penalty (beyond the shift in risk pool and higher insurance rates). The woman in the story, BTW, was taking anti-depressants, which do not necessarily cause driving impairment.

When I get on the road I accept the risk that someone in a one-ton truck might t-bone me without there being necessarily someone at fault.

[thatguy950]

She

Yep the old get out of jail free card

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by thatguy950

She

Yep the old get out of jail free card

Please. We can sit here and name hundreds of men who "got off easy," like Brock Turner and Bill Cosby et al. Money speaks louder than gender or race in the courthouses, because lots of money = good lawyers and the ability to fight longer/harder.

But without having been there or reading the entire accident report, I don't think this woman got off "easy" because of gender, money, or anything else... it was just deemed an accident, and if she were a wealthier person, I doubt she'd have gotten ANY time at all.

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by 1AngryTaxPayer

For someone killing me? Ya, but I'd rather everyone out there not drive while under the influence, which by the way, this woman did. You need to be sharp when driving, not intoxicated, using "medication" or being stoned. Is that too much to ask?

Have you ever taken antidepressants? I used to take them, and they don't typically impair you like alcohol or other "downers." If anything, they can make a person MORE alert and focused behind the wheel. Regardless, is not illegal to drive on antidepressants - and studies have only linked a few specific types/brands to a potentially dangerous impairment. Here's one study from the NIH, which states there is "conflicting data," but that any risks are usually small and/or enhanced by other factors (like age or particularly severe mental illness).

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2766284/

Killing someone, even if an accident, should have implications and consequences otherwise no law is going to work. Sorry I shot you, it was an accident. Sorry I ran you over, I was tired. These are straight up BS excuses.

If I t-bone you with my 1 ton truck because I'm tired, and kill you, are you ok with that?

If it were truly an ACCIDENT, I would forgive you from my grave... and unless this was something you did habitually, I wouldn't even want you to serve time. Probation and loss of your license, maybe for a year or two, would be sufficient in my opinion.

Who here hasn't driven home kinda tired after work? Or "zoned out" here and there on a long drive? I think we've all had those random close calls, like turning on a blind corner and narrowly missing another car or pedestrian. That's why they are called accidents!!

[Mike930]

Originally Posted by Jenkay

I ride on our streets all the time and statements like this scare the crap out of me. people do stupid sh*t in their cars CONSTANTLY. Bicyclists are generally no better or worse (go sit at an intersection sometime and see how many cars actually stop at a stop sign. Hint: about 10% of them) but somehow I only ever hear (non-bike riding) people say this about bicyclists.

That’s because your comparison is flawed. First I question your 10% stat that you throw out. Plus, when cars don’t stop at stop signs they do a “rolling stop”, slow down to a crawl and then go. And yes that’s wrong.

Cyclists, however, blow through stop signs like they weren’t even there. If cars did the equivalent at the rate you claim, then 90% would be blowing through stop signs at 30-45 mph, which just is not happening.

If you’re running lights and stop signs, you should be scared. At some point you’re going to get hit.