Teen's Sentence is Safety Lesson

[mwos]

This article was in yesterday's Denver Post.

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_3482506

Kathi

[Tailwinds]

Kathi, I just read that, too. What a tragic situation all the way around.

[Serotta PETE]

Tragic for all parties. Thanks for the update.


PETE

[Len J]

Kathi, I just read that, too. What a tragic situation all the way around.

but I have to say that from everything I've read, the kid that wsa driving has much to be proud of in the way he handled himself post accident.

I also admire the surviving family members for their obvious forgiveness within such tragic grief........I hope if I am ever in this situitation I can emulate all parties involved.

Len

[flydhest]

Len,

I take your point, but being proud of doing the only possibly decent thing after driving over someone? I don't mean to sound callous, but that's setting the bar fairly low for things to be pround of.

I didn't see in the article if the trial was juvenile court or not. I'd be curious to know if all those who call for "adult time for adult crime" feel the same way when it is a kid from the suburbs.

The widow and family of the victims are paragons of humanity for accepting his apology and being compassionate. They have much to be proud of.

[Len J]

[QUOTE=flydhest]Len,

I take your point, but being proud of doing the only possibly decent thing after driving over someone? I don't mean to sound callous, but that's setting the bar fairly low for things to be pround of.

[QUOTE]

Fly:

IMO.....the kid did everything post accident as I would want one of my kids to do......

He stopped and immediatly tried to give aid and called 911
He clearly expressed honesty and remorse.
He didn't try to push off responsibility to anyone else but accepted it himself.

Remember he was a 17 YO kid.....how many of us made mistakes when we were 17 (although without this effect)?

I'm not excusing him, but he did stand up like a man. How many adults have we read about in this situitation that hid behind lawyers and such?

I think that he has much to be proud of....in addition to much to live with.

Not excusing him at all.....just pointing out that if he were my kid.......I'd be proud of his post accident behavior.

Len

[SGP]

i agree, he screwed up, he did the right things at the time of the accident. and that is what it was, an accident. but, he did not run and hide behind lawyers or try to blame it on some one else. i pray that my kids are never in this situation but if they are i hope that they do the right thing.

no one involved will ever be the same.

[Erik.Lazdins]

Thanks for posting the story. This is a lesson to us all to live well.

Erik

[flydhest]

Len,

We're seeing eye to eye about the fact that what the kid did was right. I suppose my post was simply that his reaction is the one that the situation demanded. Doing less, which I also agree is commonplace, would be utterly reprehensible and inexcusable.

Frequently, people will say, in response to being thanked for something, "it's the least I could do." In this case, I assert that this is what the kid did. I'm thankful he did it, don't get me wrong, but it strikes me as only what humanity and decency would demand. My cup, I fear, is at least half empty.

[Len J]

Len,

We're seeing eye to eye about the fact that what the kid did was right. I suppose my post was simply that his reaction is the one that the situation demanded. Doing less, which I also agree is commonplace, would be utterly reprehensible and inexcusable.

Frequently, people will say, in response to being thanked for something, "it's the least I could do." In this case, I assert that this is what the kid did. I'm thankful he did it, don't get me wrong, but it strikes me as only what humanity and decency would demand. My cup, I fear, is at least half empty.

I'm speaking as a parent........when a teenager does the right thing......I believe you can't reinforce it enough.

Len

[Sandy]

I think that both of you make excellent points. One would hope that the boy would react as he did after the accident, acting in a most responsible manner. But that assumes a maturity under a great deal of stress and that often does not exist with both children and adults. Certainly Fly, "his reaction is what the situation demanded" may be the case, but that simply often does not occur, as a function of limited maturity, stress, ability to understand what to do and how to implement that understanding. The kid did precisely what he should have done at the scene and took total responsibility for what occurred. He should be given a great deal of credit for that. Many would have failed miserably in the aftermath of such a tragic accident.


Sandy

[malcolm]

Tragic situation for all involved. I'm with Len on this one. There have been several similar incidents where I live involving persons older than 17 and almost all have fled the scene. Doesn't excuse what he did or release him from punishment, but I'm impressed he stopped anr rendered aid. I'm most impressed with the response of Price's daughter, I'm sure he would be proud of her.

[Len J]

I'm most impressed with the response of Price's daughter, I'm sure he would be proud of her.

I suspect that at least part of her ability to forgive and take the position she did was because ofthe way the kid stood up and accpted responsibility and the genuine nature of his remorse.

Sad all around but plenty of good examples.

Len

[Kevan]

is the being human aspect. I would imagine everyone contributing here to this thread at one time or another has been in a position when they should not have been behind the wheel of a vehicle. There would be a lot more half-empty glasses if it were not for the simple fact that luck seems to abound. Whether it's a cell phone, alcohol, lack of sleep, a hamburger on the go, or a brat screaming in the back seat that distracts us, misfortune seems to spare more than it takes.

Sad to be only 17 years old and to walk the rest of life under this cloud; it's more responsibility than any of us would ever want.

[MartyE]

I suspect that at least part of her ability to forgive and take the position she did was because ofthe way the kid stood up and accpted responsibility and the genuine nature of his remorse.

Sad all around but plenty of good examples.

Len

Kiberlee (Jim Price's daughter) posted the following over on Bike Forums.
the second response is in reference to a previous post.

Hello this is Kimberlee, Jim Price's daugther. I wanted to give the board an update on what happened this afternoon.

Today was the final hearing and sentencing in the case. It went fast as the teen took responsiblity and faced the charges against him without trying to make excuses or plead down, he really seemed ready to take whatever sentence would be handed down. He was charged with and pleaded guilty to careless driving resulting in death. The terms of his sentence are as follows: 48 months of supervised probation, he needs to comply with the terms and conditions of probabtion...No driving until the court determines otherwise (his parents actually took him down to the DMV the Monday after the incident and had his license revoked). No possesion of a cell phone for any reason. 300 hours of communitity service, with the first 100 hours to be done prior to May 25, 2005 (his graduation day), must provide monthy updates and the judge suggested he go to schools, driver ed classes, cycling clubs and such to speak about what he did) Write a letter to every State Legislator regarding his experience. 98 days in home detention to be beserved prior to jail and after jail sentence, 46 days prior to jail and 52 days after jail sentence. Serve 9 days in jail.

I know some people will not think this was a just sentence, but we are satisfied with it. The judge was creative with the sentencing and I believe these are things that can make a difference and keep this incident in people's minds so that hopefully they will be more attentive while behind the wheel. The tragedy of my dad's death would only be compounded if the life of this young man were to be utterly ruined by a harsher punishment.

There will be a link to the news story at www.9news.com for anyone who is interested.

Thanks for your thought and support

Kimberlee

And further into the discussion

I do have to admit I am rather upset with the way the law is written. That being said we decided as a family after much discussion that part of his sentence should include going out sharing his story with others. I believe that would have a far great impact on him and hopefully others as well, rather than him sitting in a detension center for x amount of time. He has to get up in front of the public and tell them what he, that he took someone elses life due to a decision he made. I know for myself I needed to get to a point where what happened to my dad did not consume me with anger and hateful feelings, it would not do me any good and my kids need a mom who can function. What helped with that was seeing that this kids was not a punk without remorse, if his attitude about this had been different I would have sought for a much harder sentence; however the judge had the final say.

Kimberlee

I say good on both the kid and Jim's family.

marty

[Len J]

for sharing that.

Len

[shaq-d]

yeah.. sad all around.

also it's not so much the mistakes you make, or the problems you face; but how you react to those mistakes and problems, yes..?

[Needs Help]

I think the most important consideration in a case like this is what outcome the victim's family thinks is fair.

The second most important thing is what message the resolution of the case sends to the rest of civilization. Imo, the message is that it doesn't matter whether you get lawyers and fight the case or plead guilty and accept all responsibility--all you are going to get is a relative slap on the wrist for killing someone.

Why is a teenage driver even allowed to have a cell phone in the car?

Currently, parents have no second thoughts about putting their youngsters behind the wheels of massive SUV's as soon as they turn 16 because there is no substantial penalty when things go wrong. If parents were required to put up a bond equal to 98% of their net worth before their kids could drive, would they think a little harder about getting junior a license? Maybe they would get their kids a Rivendell with Roly Poly's and a basket on the front instead of a driver's license for their 16th birthday? Is that so bad?

Why not make potential drivers sign a statement that says if they kill someone due to their negligence while driving, they will automatically serve a minimum of 5 years in jail--no ifs ands or buts. What if the laws were written so that parents would also be subjected to jail time if their kids killed someone while driving?

[William]

A tragic situation to be sure. I applaud the teen for standing up and taking responsibility. I'm sure my (and probably most of us here)reaction would be different if he were loaded with priors, trying to hide behind lawyers, plead down, and/or shift responsibility off himself. I also think the Price family is being very merciful in their reactions and decisions toward the teen. But I think they also feel that the boy is truly remorseful, and taking responsibility for his reactions. It will certainly be far more productive and meaningful to have him telling his story to society over and over again then having him sit in jail for the next X number of years.


William

PS:


Why is a teenage driver even allowed to have a cell phone in the car?

Currently, parents have no second thoughts about putting their youngsters behind the wheels of massive SUV's as soon as they turn 16 because there is no substantial penalty when things go wrong. If parents were required to put up a bond equal to 98% of their net worth before their kids could drive, would they think a little harder about getting junior a license? Maybe they would get their kids a Rivendell with Roly Poly's and a basket on the front instead of a driver's license for their 16th birthday? Is that so bad?

Why not make potential drivers sign a statement that says if they kill someone due to their negligence while driving, they will automatically serve a minimum of 5 years in jail--no ifs ands or buts. What if the laws were written so that parents would also be subjected to jail time if their kids killed someone while driving?

You make a number of points that should be considered. But I disagree with the last one regarding making parents do jail time if their child gets into an accident with death resulting. A parent can only do the best they can with their children, teaching them right from wrong. When a child (teen) walks out the door to go out with friends, go to do sports, etc..., you can only hope that they make the right decisions and get back home safley. Heck, my parents taught me right from wrong, but there are many things I did that my parents never knew about. Teens sometimes do stuff like that. Honor roll students all the way to flunkies.
Now, if a teen had weapons, swastikas on the walls of their room, and spewing hate and the parents knew about it. And, if that teen went out and shot, stabbed, or blew up others....then I might agree. How could they not know with all the evidence present? But that's getting into another topic.

[flydhest]

Needs Help, I disagree with the first point. If there was an accident and a child was paralyzed and the victims family wanted the death sentence, that is, in my view, inappropriate. The family's sense of fair isn't all that important to me. If someone beat up my kid, I might think it only fair that I get to beat the living snot out of them. Not a good judicial system.

William, the word "accident" ought to be used carefully. This situation was not an accident in my view, it was an awful outcome from someone doing something wrong. If we have more lenient penalties for youth, some responsibility should be meted out for the responsible guardian. I think the parents in this case ought to be forced to bear some of the penalty if the law is that the offender is under their guardianship.

[William]

William, the word "accident" ought to be used carefully. This situation was not an accident in my view, it was an awful outcome from someone doing something wrong. If we have more lenient penalties for youth, some responsibility should be meted out for the responsible guardian. I think the parents in this case ought to be forced to bear some of the penalty if the law is that the offender is under their guardianship.

It's an accident in the sense that he did not intentionally seek to kill someone. It was negligence resulting in an accident. That in no way takes away from the fact that a person was killed....IMHO.


William

[flydhest]

William,

Your use of accident was clear, but not only does it not, as you put it, take away the fact that the victim died, it also does not exonerate the killer. Even though the killing was not intentional, the "not paying attention" part was.

[William]

William,

Your use of accident was clear, but not only does it not, as you put it, take away the fact that the victim died, it also does not exonerate the killer. Even though the killing was not intentional, the "not paying attention" part was.

Yes, he is still guilty of killing someone through negligence. An accident caused by negligence, death resulting. No?


William