No contest plea, community service in cyclist’s death

[Keith A]

I have several friends who knew this cyclist personally, the driver only got 120 hours of community service
https://www.gainesville.com/news/201...cyclists-death

[rcnute]

I guess the issue is what were the other potential crimes/infractions and whether they were provable.

Ryan

[nesteel]

Hopefully the civil suit keeps the driver financially challenged for the rest of his life as a constant reminder. Its the last chance at anything resembling justice for the family now. (I certainly hope they will/already have filed one)

[soulspinner]

wow

[madsciencenow]

If you get to the end of the article the community service will essentially pay the fines and leave him with less than $100 in money owed. Hopefully, there is additional litigation pending.

The inconvenience of losing his license for a year and whatever goes on his record (does anything land there?) are probably the biggest disincentives to not hitting a cyclist.


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[jamesdak]

So sad to see time and time again how little the life of a cyclist is according to the antiquated laws.

[thwart]

Hmmm. Wonder what the penalty would be if he killed a pedestrian who was walking along the road next to the curb, in an area with no sidewalks.

The message this sort of sentencing sends to non-cycling motorists is disturbing.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by thwart

Hmmm. Wonder what the penalty would be if he killed a pedestrian who was walking along the road next to the curb, in an area with no sidewalks.

The message this sort of sentencing sends to non-cycling motorists is disturbing.

Have no idea but I don't really think there is a vast conspiracy against these vehicles(bicycles) that share the road with cars..as is implied.

So sad to see time and time again how little the life of a cyclist is according to the antiquated laws

[William]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

Have no idea but I don't really think there is a vast conspiracy against these vehicles(bicycles) that share the road with cars..as is implied.

No, but time and time again it sends the message that if you are going to "play" in the road with cars then it's the cyclists fault.






W.

[thwart]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

Have no idea but I don't really think there is a vast conspiracy against these vehicles(bicycles) that share the road with cars..as is implied.

No vast conspiracy, just tribalism. Almost everyone has been a pedestrian.

[madsciencenow]

It would be interesting to understand what the max available sentencing available was here? I’m frustrated that someone could hit someone riding a bike, kill them, and pay such a low price but knowing more detail is essential here with regard to the judges decision.


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[Keith A]

Here are a couple of news story that was posted after his death...
https://www.gainesville.com/news/201...esday-accident
https://www.wcjb.com/content/news/Pr...482354451.html

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by William

No, but time and time again it sends the message that if you are going to "play" in the road with cars then it's the cyclists fault.

W.

My point is that in the case, as an example, somebody said, 'it's a guy on a bike', so let's go easy on the driver..It IS a unique situation in that 'roads' are indeed shared by cars and bikes and it IS dangerous. But I don't think a conscience decision by law enforcement to change the 'punishment' of the car driver because the victim was on a bike..Is all..very sad all around.

The lady that hit me from behind, after she fell asleep at 10:30 on a Saturday morning, got 4 points and 40 hours of community service and a $250 fine.. BUT, if I had been walking..not sure the penalty would have been different.

[djg21]

The “lock him up” mantra may be short-sighted. I’d much rather see the widow and son sue for wrongful death, and extract a huge judgment or settlement. The victim was 42 and hopefully had some decent earning power. A judgment is assured given the plea/conviction. The only question that remains is how much? I think it in the best interest of the widow and son to take a sizable judgement far in excess of the insurance policy, so that the perp can lose his home and F-150 and work to pay the judgment. Locking the driver up wouldn’t necessarily be in the best interest of the victim’s widow and son.

[Gummee]

Just goes to show that if you want to commit murder here in the US all you need to do is prop the guy up on a bicycle, run him over, then claim 'I didn't see him!'

There doesn't seem to be any legal reason to not run over a cyclist when you meet up with one on the road.

Sad state of affairs

M