Jonny Gaudreau

[merckxman]

I don't believe that graphic is correct. According to the police, "When he attempted to reenter the northbound lane, police say the SUV in front of him moved into the middle of the roadway, splitting the north and south lanes in order to safely pass two bicyclists on the right side of the road." Therefore Higgins didn't have an entire lane to pass on the right as shown.

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

Seemingly a good visual of what happened.

People take driving too casually. It's just not something you can do well drunk.

[climbgdh]

Originally Posted by BumbleBeeDave

But my overwhelming impression is that people have overall just gotten more selfish, less caring, and more open about taking advantage of each other over recent years. Doing anything "for the public good" has gotten rare. slowly but surely, the social contract that we learned about in college Western Civ classes is breaking down and is just more obviously reflected in the way people drive their vehicles.

BBD

THIS ^^^ X1000. Well said.

[Louis]

Originally Posted by Spoker

Did you call 911 immediately?

Once I settled down I thought of that, but the emergency flip phone I usually keep in the car was at home on the charger...

[rwsaunders]

Originally Posted by Matthew

Just simply unimaginable grief for the family and friends. Horrific. And this POS will likely not get anywhere near the punishment he deserves.

I read that in New Jersey, the crime is punishable by a maximum of 10 years in prison…I’m hoping that it was a printing error. Very sad story and a sobering reminder that motor vehicle/bicycle fatalities occur at a rate of roughly 3 fatalities per day the US.

https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/home-and...icycle-deaths/

[LIRider]

As both a huge hockey fan and cyclist, this really hits home.

RIP, Johnny Hockey.

[dmitrik4]

Awful. I live in south NJ and grew up in the town where he skated as a kid. I am very reluctant to ride on the roads around here—much more so than when I was in WA or CO. Drivers here are far more aggressive.

Sadly, pretty much the only reason the driver will face serious consequences is because he was drunk.

[72gmc]

Originally Posted by rwsaunders

I read that in New Jersey, the crime is punishable by a maximum of 10 years in prison…I’m hoping that it was a printing error. Very sad story and a sobering reminder that motor vehicle/bicycle fatalities occur at a rate of roughly 3 fatalities per day the US.

https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/home-and...icycle-deaths/

On a related car favoritism note … a cbs sports dot com headline reads “Blue Jackets star Gaudreau dies in cycling accident”

The editor who approved this headline deserves a full pot of crappy newsroom coffee in the crotch.

[gone]

The guy that hit him is going to do whatever the maximum is, unless of course the local police screwed up the arrest somehow.

• Killed somebody famous. The American "justice" system comes down hard on killing celebrities and cute puppies.
• Confessed to having "5 or 6 beers". Idiot - you're supposed to say you had a sip of somebody elses!
• Said the beers were the reason he tried to pass the SUV on the right because he was angry they were trying to prevent him from passing (let's see: "road rage" anybody?).

[Nevets]

The same lack of consideration, the apparent evolution of frustration, impatience and general nastiness is also IMO why people run stop signs and red lights around here (San Diego area), dont know why its happened, just that it has.....(though this has nothing to do with choosing to drink lots of beer and drive drunk, unless the same arrogance made the driver think the rules dont apply to him)

[makoti]

Well, to make the story just a little bit crappier...

The other guy, his brother, was to be a first time dad in December. His wife was pregnant.

https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity...t-to-be-a-dad/

[geordanh]

The whole thing is just so incredibly awful. Can’t get over it.

[verticaldoug]

Originally Posted by Black Dog

Do you think that the shift you observe is related to our increasing use of social media over the last decade or so?

It's not a one factor thing.

You need to throw in mental illness and substance abuse into the mix.

(I put mental illness in here since more people are self-medicating.)

I think all of this related back to problems developed during covid shutdown.
I think we are still dealing with the aftermath.

[Black Dog]

Originally Posted by verticaldoug

It's not a one factor thing.

You need to throw in mental illness and substance abuse into the mix.

(I put mental illness in here since more people are self-medicating.)

I think all of this related back to problems developed during covid shutdown.
I think we are still dealing with the aftermath.

I agree that there is a constellation of things involved. I also wonder about how what I perceive as a reduction in the enforcement of traffic laws plays into this.

[verticaldoug]

Originally Posted by Black Dog

I agree that there is a constellation of things involved. I also wonder about how what I perceive as a reduction in the enforcement of traffic laws plays into this.

there is probably a broken windows element here, where little crimes lead to bigger crimes.

If I am always speeding, someone driving a little slow really infuriates me, and I pass recklessly.

[merckxman]

Accused drunk driver in Johnny Gaudreau death is U.S. Army major, works at rehab center, https://www.nj.com/salem/2024/09/acc...ab-center.html