[Xela]

...how the driver can not be charged! What a sad picture and story.

Tragedy in Texas at Urban Velo

Similarly, we had a 10 yr old girl hit and killed IN A CROSSWALK here last weekend and the driver was only cited with careless driving!

Any attorneys or law enforcement officers out there care to explain why this is not at least involuntary manslaughter?

 

[Skidmark]

No doubt that just sucks that it even happened. Not sure how you "loose control" and just veer into a bike and kill two people. SOMETHING was going on. Cell phone, eating, ......

 

[wild]

Same here Guy was passing lost control took out a fellow on a bike , a pole and some trees. He was charged with a seatbelt vilation that is how the news paper had it reported. It happened on the road I ride on , and I ride pass there almost every day. Sad verry sad.

 

[CTD50]

I'm done apologizing, or being nice about it -- I WANT SOME HEADS! THIS IS CRIMINAL, HOW PEOPLE CAN BE ALLOWED TO BE SO CARELESS AND STUPID BEHIND THE WHEEL OF THREE THOUSAND POUNDS OF GAS-POWERED GUIDED MISSILE!

DAMN civil rights complainers -- we need to put some STANDARDS in place that people have to meet before they can get a license, and not some insipid little 20-Q test and a cruise around the parking lot! MAKE PEOPLE LEARN, and make penalties hurt when they screw up!

CONGRESS, ARE YOU HEARING ME?!? (of course not........)

 

[Burr]

Not in California,
If you pass a person with their foot in the street you get a ticket, kill a cyclist go to jail.

No BS in Ca. No Question

 

[funetical]

Because Rick Perry is a joke. He spends the mandatory time in Texas then books of to whatever vacation he has scheduled next. I hate you Rick Perry. Just in case your cruising around forums seeing if anybody mentions your name.

 

[TxCyclist]

Terrible. Must be the County. There was a Father who accidentally left his child in the car instead of dropping her off for daycare. Pretty insane accident but from all I've read and watched interviews on the news it was. They are charging him with manslaughter.

 

[Industry_Hack]

When I worked for an insurance company, we had a "Call to action". Maybe that's something we need on this site. Post the facts, and an address/email/phone number of the elected official that has let his constituents down. I think Rick Perry needs to get some mail about this.

 

[Xela]

When I worked for an insurance company, we had a "Call to action". Maybe that's something we need on this site. Post the facts, and an address/email/phone number of the elected official that has let his constituents down. I think Rick Perry needs to get some mail about this.

Great idea! It doesn't do anyone any good for us just to rant among ourselves.

 

[Industry_Hack]

Great idea! It doesn't do anyone any good for us just to rant among ourselves.

Run this by Dean, when he wakes up and finishes his Wheaties.

 

[funetical]

I don't know getting all riled up is kind of fun, but I agree. I'll see if I can't find some info on his Governess and post it. He's rarely in state so it will be hard to catch up with him.

 

[funetical]

Governer Rick Perry

Mailing Address

Office of the Governor
P.O. Box 12428
Austin, Texas 78711-2428

 

[vitapimp]

very sad story.

 

[TxCyclist]

I've written Rick Perry numerous times and each time I get a standard form letter.

Instead Texas cyclists need to support Hutchison in the upcoming Primary.

 

[snowbird]

In Texas it's perfectly acceptable to drive on the berm to allow overtaking traffic to pass. They pave wide berms for that practice. I could understand a court's reluctance to make a ruling that would inhibit that way of passing.
Texas has been described as miles and miles of miles and miles. They have a 70 mph speed limit for secondary roads. They're built for high speed vehicle traffic.
A law that would require a 3' space when passing a bicycle wouldn't have saved this person. But it would impeed traffic flow.
Punishing a driver with punishment intended for criminal behavior would be overkill.

I like Texas but it's not a bicycle friendly state. It would be very difficult to make it so. I'm sure there are certain areas and roads that are ideal for biking but statewide it's not.

 

[Industry_Hack]

Punishing a driver with punishment intended for criminal behavior would be overkill.

What do they do for a negligent operator?

“investigators say there are no charges on the driver. They believe this was an accident and that somehow the driver lost control of his truck.”

Let's not downplay this. How do you "somehow lose control" of your vehicle? If there was some mechanical reason for the loss of control, was it due to lack of maintenance, or latent defect? Or was it operator error on the part of the driver? If this was a motor vehicle vs motor vehicle accident, the insurance companies would be asking these questions,and demanding answers. But since the driver only killed a couple on their bicycle, it's no big deal.

 

[Xela]

Punishing a driver with punishment intended for criminal behavior would be overkill.

Maybe generally, but in this specific instance, this was criminal behavior. Two people were killed because of the negligence of a person who had taken the responsibility upon him/herself to operate a motor vehicle. It seems anymore that people are less concerned with the safe operation of a motor vehicle than they are with talking on a cell phone, texting, putting on make-up, singing, etc.

Come on. If I'm carrying a loaded gun and it accidentally goes off, do you think I won't be charged?

In my mind, if you kill two people by an action that could have easily been avoided, you are a criminal!

 

[Xela]

I guess me and Industry_Hack were writing our responses at the same time.

 

[Industry_Hack]

In my mind, if you kill two people by an action that could have easily been avoided, you are a criminal!

There was no criminal intent that we know of. Without a reason for the loss of control of the vehicle, I'd still push for negligent homicide. Two people died as a result of someone's carelessness, at the very minimum.

 

[Burr]

If you are the driver then you are responsible