This is just sad news.
** **An 18-year-old driver who struck and killed a bicyclist in July won’t face charges in connection with the man’s death – only a $42 fine for changing lanes unsafely.
http://www.kirotv.com/news/29484165/detail.html
Sadly, people on ST seem to be a lot more preoccupied and upset about someone cutting the course in Kona.
Unbelievable. What the hell is this part of the story about?
Davis said Przychodzen was hit twice by the 18-year-old driver of a pickup truck when the driver veered sharply onto the shoulder of Juanita Drive. Przychodzen was riding on the shoulder, and was run-over from behind.“In fact, one of the witnesses claims after he was hit, he immediately yelled out, ‘What the’ – before the truck struck him again and then ran over him,” Davis said.
At the request of Przychodzen’s family, Davis is launching a lawsuit, demanding the driver’s cell phone records so he determine if the collision was a mistake – or something more.
“They want this driver put under oath. They want to hear from this driver (about) what he has to say about why this accident happened,” said Davis. “What he was doing. Was he using a cell phone?”
Why the HELL didn’t the police check the phone records? if they show the punk was on the phone, couldn’t they charge him??? WTF!!!
This is freaking crazy… seriously, no negligent driving charge? They didn’t even subpoena his cell phone records?
I ride by the spot where this occurred all the time, including proximate enough to the time of the “accident” that I saw little pieces of bike and car in the road…
Jeezus…
.
Unbelievable. I’m not saying that this should prompt a witch hunt against the driver, but at very least a complete and thorough investigation ought to have been completed. Including cell phone records and the accounts of eye witnesses, etc. No amount of “punishment” will bring the kid back, but proper enforcement of legislation should help to prevent such tragedies in the future.
I could have been the cyclist in the article. I was run over last month by a 19 year old who, making a left turn, didn’t see me in the oncoming lane. If my skull would have fractured slightly differently, I would have been dead.
I thought about accidents quite a bit the three weeks I was in hospital, and the three I’ve been home now. And my conclusion is what the cop in the article says: sometimes an accident is just an accident. The teen that damn near killed me got a citation for making an unsafe left turn (I have no idea what that costs you in Ontario). Had I been killed, would I have wanted him prosecuted for manslaughter? Would my family, or society as a whole, be any better off if that happened? I think not.
I live in a world populated with heavy pieces of machinery travelling at great speed, sometimes operated by inexperienced, distracted or intoxicated people. I choose to ride my bicycle between those pieces of machinery. I understand that any of those can kill me at any moment, but I honestly believe that if that would happen, the life of the person responsible for that would already be sufficiently ruined (both psychologically and most likely financially) without society locking him up in jail. Obviously, things change if the driver acts on purpose or criminally negligent (which in my view includes intoxication and hit-and-run).
Bottom line: the cops claim they investigated, and that there’s nothing there. Leave it be.
Having said that, if the good people of Kirkland think that the local police department isn’t truthful when it says it investigated the case thoroughly, that’s another problem which isn’t going to be fixed by sending one 18 year old to jail.
This is completely F-N outrageous.
If this kid hit another in a parked car on the shoulder would he be charged? Different investigation? The “months” of investigation didn’t subpoena any of his phone records? This in King county WA (with lots of outdoor types in my experience) - forget this happening in someplace like Florida (#1 state for bike/car fatalities).
Yeah, I read these all the time and I’m about to leave tomorrow on a 109 mile ride and I’m not fearful, but this just got to me tonight. Now where is my beer …
I was struck by a hit-and-run driver, suspected to be drunk, although I was very lucky not to have been more seriously injured. Ironically, my friend’s dad was hit the same day, spent months in the hospital, and has never been the same since.
In this case, is the driver’s insurance legally obligated to pay, since he was only cited with a minor violation?
Are we sending the wrong message to society as a whole, that it’s okay to operate a deadly weapon in an unsafe manner? I find it ironic that we are losing the constitutional right to bear arms, but it’s okay to send a 17-year old out in a deadly vehicle and just shrug when they kill or maim someone.
I also find it ironic that we are protecting any- and everybody as a “protected minority” because they are fat, short, tall, dark, light, purple, green, gay or sideways, and yet an ordinary citizen going about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is regarded as, quite literally, a speed bump.
Do accidents happen? Of course. To all of us. Is there such a thing as negligence? Absolutely. Should there be such a thing as responsibility? There used to be.
We don’t know enough about this case to know if this is appropriate, a shade on the light side, or absolutely absurd. What I do know is that, all too often, cyclists are not equally protected by the law and that the drivers who harm them are not equally persecuted by the law.
Sending one kid to jail might not be the answer. It is, however, how our criminal justice system is structured, and has been since Hammurabi. What is also not the answer, however, is for one group of citizens to be worth less to society based on their hobby; just as it would be if it were based on their race, their gender, or their politics.
I probably rambled; it’s the kind of thing that makes your head spin.
Only $42? I’m surprised the fine was that high.
This deserves a little bit of Slowtwitch outrage I think.
I walk around a lot to the gym, groceries, bank etc it’s not neccessary for me to drive my truck that much. But in my walking around I have fallen into that habit of watching people who are actually driving. From what I observe daily, at least 30% of people are screwing around with their phones; texting, facebooking ‘words with friends’ who knows?
And I think of my next ride and hope I’m not the unfortunate one.
That kid was screwing around with his phone for sure. All telecom/mobile providers carry/track very precise data. And since it is likely the kids phone is GPS enabled, he could be pinpointed on location and texting.
Sorry if this sounds like a rush to judgment, but I have my reasons.
It is absurd that the penalty for taking a human life via negligence costs $42.00
Penalties for killing domestic animals are much harsher than that in WA
This is just sad news.
** **An 18-year-old driver who struck and killed a bicyclist in July won’t face charges in connection with the man’s death – only a $42 fine for changing lanes unsafely.
http://www.kirotv.com/...29484165/detail.html
Changing lanes unsafely? Only one lane plus shoulder in each direction.
I was struck by a hit-and-run driver, suspected to be drunk, although I was very lucky not to have been more seriously injured. Ironically, my friend’s dad was hit the same day, spent months in the hospital, and has never been the same since.
In this case, is the driver’s insurance legally obligated to pay, since he was only cited with a minor violation?
As far as I know, drivers/cyclists are deemed to be at fault in an collision independent of any criminal charge being brought.
Are we sending the wrong message to society as a whole, that it’s okay to operate a deadly weapon in an unsafe manner? I find it ironic that we are losing the constitutional right to bear arms, but it’s okay to send a 17-year old out in a deadly vehicle and just shrug when they kill or maim someone.
I’m not touching the “right to bear arms” argument, but I wouldn’t call the financial burden my lawyer and the insurance company will put on the guy that hit me society shrugging at his acts. Of course people need to be responsible, but I happen to believe that there are other (and sometimes better) tools to tell people that they should be than incarceration.
I also find it ironic that we are protecting any- and everybody as a “protected minority” because they are fat, short, tall, dark, light, purple, green, gay or sideways, and yet an ordinary citizen going about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is regarded as, quite literally, a speed bump.
Again, not touching that one.
Do accidents happen? Of course. To all of us. Is there such a thing as negligence? Absolutely. Should there be such a thing as responsibility? There used to be.
We don’t know enough about this case to know if this is appropriate, a shade on the light side, or absolutely absurd. What I do know is that, all too often, cyclists are not equally protected by the law and that the drivers who harm them are not equally persecuted by the law.
What that means in my opinion that you (and all other cyclists with you) should fight to get that rectified in your jurisdiction.
Sending one kid to jail might not be the answer. It is, however, how our criminal justice system is structured, and has been since Hammurabi.
As I mention above, I politely disagree. There are other tools, civil litigation being one.
What is also not the answer, however, is for one group of citizens to be worth less to society based on their hobby; just as it would be if it were based on their race, their gender, or their politics.
I probably rambled; it’s the kind of thing that makes your head spin.
Bump 'cause I’m still outraged, just readied the steed for tomorrow’s ride, and finished a great Breckenridge Autumn Brown Ale.
Be safe out there tomorrow everyone.
We’re going to keep this thread on the first page.
still pissed, i ride this route in question weekly…
I read the comments below the story expecting to find the usual idiotic bikes don’t belong on the road bs. Not one. There may be hope for society after all.
Same situation here in Charleston, SC. Earlier this summer a cyclist was riding over a bridge, in the 10 ft wide bike lane. A van swerved into the bike lane, hitting him from behind and killing him. The driver was charged with “improper lane usage”.
This whole situation sucks. Unfortunately my team and I deal with car vs. bikes and car vs. runner situations a lot where we currently live (I don’t mind saying central PA). RoadID’s are worn religiously!
In fact I was hit by a car while running, of all things, this summer. I was more then half-way through an intersection after stopping and waiting for a light to change and a driver making a right turn on red just drove through the light and didn’t see me. My body broke a few of the pieces on his P.O.S. car and he actually got out of the car and was furious at me laying in the road. He was screaming and stomping his feet. Another driver called 911 and said later it was because she thought the driver was going to start wailing on me in anger. I got up and walked to the curb and sat down, by the way.
The cops came and dissected the whole situation and actually were very fair in their decision. They cited the guy for the running the red and for a creating a public nuisance with his rant. They asked me if I wanted to press charges and I said no.
The real issue is that drivers, ALL drivers, are not taught how to drive properly. Taking a drivers-ed class in high school does not expose a 16-18yo to all the situations on the road. My sister-in-law teaches drivers-ed in school and although I love her dearly, she even admits she has no business teaching a kid how to drive. They are taught from 20yo text books and 10yo videos with no mention of pedestrians or cyclists. Teach kids that they MUST share the road and made people over 75 take refresher courses. Might help things a little…
I am with chipmunk on this…Concealed weapons? Lavender room…but, under this administration you can now carry concealed weapons across state lines, in nationanl parks ect…and a few other thimgs. That argument is getting old over the last 20 years …I will go to the lavender room with this on guns
I live in Montana where recently if you sined up for satellite t.v. you got a gun free.