San diego a week ago 6 year old, riding bike in alley is hit by unlicensed female driver. Father is there and comes to child’s aide, where she proceeds to run him over again to kill him in order to get away. Luckily father gets pic of license plate. She is free on bail now, and just facing a MAX of what COULD be 6 years in jail. Another incident in SD SUI guy killed 4 people flying off coronado bridge, out in 18 .onths on good behavior. I am anti gun, but do these things with a gun is life in prison, if not death penalty in other states. I don’t think change can be done as politicians are car brain biased drivers themselves. How can this be corrected?
It does seem like if you want to kill someone and get off with a light sentence, the best way to do so is with a car.
1 Like
A friend of mine was run over and killed by a driver doing four times the speed limit on a two lane road. Settled out of court. The guy has a documented history of excessive speeding. Blows my mind and pisses me off.
Sounds horrific.
But got a link to the news report covering this crime?
The automobile is the like the old Colt 45. Any idiot can kill somebody.
I think the challenge is that there are intentional acts, grossly negligent acts, and simple mistakes, all of which can yield deadly results. Determining the root of the issue is usually difficult and most people won’t admit their true intent when facing dire consequences.
I do agree in cases where obvious intent or gross negligence exists, the penalties should rise steeply.
1 Like
Especially if you can fool your target into riding a bike 
2 Likes
Absolutely, they probably had it coming.
In 2013 a local cross country coach and fixture at every local triathlon was hit by a driver who left him dying in the ditch. She served less than 3 years.
A Delaware woman was sentenced in Delaware County Common Pleas Court Monday, Feb. 24, to 4 1/2 years in prison in the death of a popular St. Francis DeSales High School teacher and coach killed while riding his bicycle a rural road in September along.
Mary Kathryn Paul, 36 also will lose her driver’s license for life. She will begin serving her sentence immediately.
But of course didn’t serve that and even wanted her license back. Not sure if she got it, she blamed diabetes for the whole thing.
“I had an infection in the bone of my right leg, in my foot and my sugars were over 600, I had pneumonia, I was very sick,” Paul told the judge Wednesday morning as she still seemed remorseful for what she did six years ago. “I should have never gotten behind the wheel that day, and obviously I wasn’t thinking clearly.”
Paul walked out of the Delaware County jail after serving less than three years for killing the Pelotonia rider and St. Francis DeSales High School teacher Robert Lennon. She ran him over with her car while he was bicycling in rural Delaware County. She pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and one count of fleeing the scene.
ETA - riding by his ghost bike on a regular route for all of us was always very eerie.
Locally, a few years ago a young woman was going double the speed limit while texting and driving, and hit an 11 year old at a marked crosswalk who was on her way to school.
The girl survived but has severe brain damage and will live the rest of her life in a wheelchair, and will need assistance for the rest of her life.
The driver, while awaiting trail, got another speeding ticket, and had previous tickets for dangerous driving.
She was granted full parole after 5 years.
Yup.
Unfortunate as hell, but, you know, “everybody needs to look at their phones all the time, even while driving”. Nope.
If you are interested in driving safety, this short flick is an absolute must watch. And you will never text in your car again. Make sure your driving age kids see it too.