Positive news for sure. I guess we will have to wait for sentencing to see what comes from it.

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Thanks for the update. Hoping he serves some time.

You should lob a law bomb at him

Looks like 10 months in prison and $1210 in restitution. Better than nothing, I guess.

https://www.newschannel5.com/...atchez-trace-hit-run

Doesn't that usually include time served? It's likely that he's already accumulated 10 months, with the conditions of his court date. I'm no sadist, but I was really hoping for more than that.

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https://connect.garmin.com/modern/profile/domingjm

The rest of the story . . . there have been other hit-and-runs in that general area carried out by a dark Volvo over the past several years. Nobody got a tag number or a video in those instances.

I suspect the perp is agreeing to jail time in order to cut off investigation / charging of the other crimes.

I've heard the same thing. For as egregious as the assault and the lying was, I'm shocked that he didn't get more time. I'm curious why they didn't demand more.

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https://connect.garmin.com/modern/profile/domingjm

I don't know. I've heard of drivers killing cyclists in hit-and-run situations (not in Tennessee) getting probation. Maybe the prosecutors were balancing the risk of probation -- taking a sure thing rather than gambling on a stricter sentence.

Ten months in prison.

https://www.tennessean.com/...ntencing/1190603002/

And a civil case forthcoming.

https://www.tennessean.com/...all-neely/764515002/

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

Hopefully the cyclist gets everything he requests in the civil trial. It's impossible for me to feel bad for this guy.

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https://connect.garmin.com/modern/profile/domingjm

Neely's defense team argued that he faced a steep punishment in the last year, when the case received national attention. They added that Neely faced a civil lawsuit that could "ruin him financially."

I think along with jail time, being financially ruined is an appropriate punishment for his actions that could have cost someone their life.

I agree. It wasn't like he "just didn't see him". The driver intentionally directed his car at the cyclist and then drove off. Because of this, I feel no pity for the driver. The ten month jail time is not enough. If that had been my wife on the bike, I'd want the guy dead

For some reason, drivers think it's funny to see how close they can drive next to cyclists "just to scare them". One of my employees told me she and a friend were riding up a local mountain when they saw a cyclist climbing. Her friend said "oh I hate those guys. I'm gonna ride right up next to him to force him off the road". Luckily, my employee knows I'm a cyclist and became pissed off at her friend and told her "HELL NO!!!"

Are these people still friends? If anyone I was friends with acted in a manner such as that I would immediately cease all contact with that person and ensure they know that they are sub-human scum if they have such little regard for another person's life.

I stated wrong. they are cousins. But, I agree with you. That person would be out of my life

That's an unfortunate attitude IMHO. The person described is certainly ignorant but hopefully not beyond redemption. Why not try to combat ignorance with engagement and civilized discourse rather than shunning?

I think we should all write the prosecute and the judge to throw the book at this jerk. I think the only thing that is going to change is when people who do these things serve some actual jail time. I had an idea for crowdsourcing this with form letters & etc, just no time to do it.. We need to stop the carnage on the roads and have it taken seriously by the justice system.

Ten months is the nominal sentence, but everyone in that courtroom (including the judge) knows that ten months does not mean ten months -- it means something far less. It would be interesting to know what that really translates to in the Tennessee / federal system. In most states, if a person behaves themselves in prison, their real sentence amounts to about 1/10 the nominal sentence. (There are several ways for an inmate to accumulate "good time" and other credits that count against their sentence -- even apart from the parole system.)

My guess is that, if he reports now, the guy will be out by Thanksgiving. He will be endangering another cyclist long before Christmas. Charge those GoPro batteries, folks!

My employee did try talking to her cousin and told her "that's a human life you are endangering". The response she got was not "oh God, you are right, what was I thinking" but "well, its not my fault if they get hurt. Shouldn't be on the damn road anyways". I've had similar conversations with people.

I would half expect that kind of a response -- people do not like to admit they are wrong. But hopefully, the point got through. I really do think that the majority of people who buzz me out on the road (1) have no intention to harm me, (2) do not realize how precarious we are out there (literally, the slightest bump could kill us -- unlike people in another car where there is almost no danger from the slightest bump), (3) think they are better drivers than they actually are (they think they know where there car is (right to left) within a couple of inches and so there is no risk aiming to come within 12 inches), (4) just know that there is enough room on the road for them, a bike, and a car/truck going in the opposite direction, (5) are unaware that a bicyclist might need room to avoid a dangerous condition on the road, etc.

I really think that the education process we need is to get people to think that they have our lives in their hands and how little of an effort/delay would be involved in making it safe for bicyclists. I do not think they want to be the one to kill or maim someone's mother/father/son/daughter. If after the fact, the driver can more easily rationalize that it is not their fault. But if we can get people to think about it in advance, we could be safe and there would be no reason to rationalize.

I think a lot of people don't really realize what the consequences of crashing a bike can be. I mean we all rode bikes and fell off as kids, what's the big deal?

I don't disagree that the book should be thrown at somebody who intentionally hits somebody like this but I don't think that will change the carnage on the road much. Something has to change with how people see cyclists. Just punishing them more won't have enough of an affect.

that video is terrifying. it's bad enough when drivers are just dumb and think they can squeeze by you but when it's intentional it's horrifying.

I think that's a pretty average response, sadly. They don't see human lives on the road; they see the vehicle type. The language used reflects that. Everyone talks about a bike, a car, a truck, etc. Another argument frequently trotted out is "didn't their parents tell them not to play in the road when they were kids?" For a lot of people, the roads aren't seen as recreational, and they don't think your use is of equal priority. They see roads as for motorized transport only.

I fed up with this stuff. Watch the video: this is assault with a deadly weapon under another name. It's particularly galling given the specific rules on the Natchez Trace, which is a recreational, bike-focused road that allows two abreast riding. In that regard, the sentence is ridiculously light.

If there's one thing I've learned after three decades of riding on the road, it's that a fairly large group of people drive like complete morons around bikes. I've also learned that a smaller group of subhumans actively want to kill you for daring to ride a bike on their blessed roads. I've had bottles thrown at me while I'm doing 45 MPH in a full tuck. I've had rake handles wack me in the shoulder. I've been "buzzed" on an empty road by cars going over 80 MPH. I've been hit in broad daylight on a wide, flat road by someone who "didn't see me". Almost every ride, at least one driver does something so oblivious that I'm amazed they have a license. It's also clear to me that the vast majority of police officers find cyclists to be an annoyance with doubtful rights who should safely be presumed to be in the wrong in all situations.

It's time that cops, local governments and the NHTSA hold drivers and themselves to a higher standard. It's also time that police organizations and government officials be clear about the right for cyclists to be on the road, nothing can get better until they start defending the laws that are already on the books. They have all failed to date to do so. Also, cyclist need to get organized and be unyielding about this.