Modern Vespa

Let's see if I hear back from the DA's office.

Sounds like the type that would blame a rape victim because she was dressed provocatively

Thanks for posting these updates Santiago! Am interested to see how this ends.

I mostly ride in a small town with little traffic but these stories always make me aware that I must be alert all the time.

While heading home yesterday I was getting ready to go through an intersection with a 4 way stop when a pickup truck blew through the stop sign on my left. Didn't even slow down.

Luckily I saw him coming and had slowed down to make my stop.

Glad you are safe. Seems that making a full stop is becoming a quaint habit. Even slowing down is less common than it was.

I try not to be the first one through the intersection when the light turns green.

That little hesitation might save me a world of hurt sometime.

A group of 3 of us were riding into Columbus the other day and we stopped at a light on a side street leading to one of the main cross town streets. Our light turned green and before we could get into the intersection a huge pickup blew right through the light in the left lane. There was even someone stopped in the right lane.

When we stopped for gas one of the ladies I was riding with said "You know why he blew through the light. He was looking directly at the scooters."

The common threat on many of these threads is pickup trucks. Seems to me that banning pickups might be the way to go.

Was there any report on what protective gear she was wearing? I am interested in the actual cause of death and what, if any, protective equipment could have saved her life or minimized her injury. Clearly, her death was a result of the driver and a tragic moment for her family and friends.

From the DA's office:

You can call our communications office for periodic updates at 781-897-8325.

The last few days I've been thinking DRIVERS EDUCATION.
Even if you have passed it maybe it should be required to take it again every 10 years.

Now my rant:
As far as pickup trucks, maybe you should have to show why you need one to get a license for one. Too many people have them because they are often cheaper than cars or think they will be safer and don't use them to haul anything just ride to the grocery store and child care while burning tons of fuel. They are kind of the poor mans SUV. Yes I know it's personal choice but it impacts many others when you take up so much space and are careless because you feel you can't be hurt. They also double as offices for people on the go so they yak on the phone, do their taxes and screw their secretary while driving. Then they look at you when they screw up and say, "What?"

Rant over for now.

Hmmm One thing I noticed when I was in the UK a few years ago was the lack of pickup trucks.

I didn't see a single one. Over here it seems like every other vehicle is a pickup.

Reports were that she still had her helmet on when the EMT and Police arrived. I remember the day well and it was one of our hottest weeks if the summer so I seriously doubt she was wearing a protective jacket. Although she was an experienced motorcyclist so I could be wrong. But given that the impact threw her 82 feet, I really don't this protective gear would have helped in this case. The eye witness report, whcih seems to be confirmed in the DA report, the professor was traveling at a pretty high speed even though the speed limit on that road is 30 mph

New Article with a quote from the professor, who thinks the charges are harsh.

Meanwhile the DA's office said

"With any motor vehicle crash that results in a fatality, there has to be probable cause of criminal negligence to charge the defendant with motor vehicle homicide,''. This is promising because a lesser charge would have been vehicle manslaughter, but they are charging him under a higher standard. Perhaps that is why it took so long.


http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/10/14/retired_harvard_professor_cited_in_fatal_july_accident/

http://www.law.harvard.edu/news/bulletin/2005/fall/tribute-vagts.php



Seems like a decent enough fellow. It is sad on both sides, but I have to think of my Father...

One of the last times I was driving with him, we came up to a 4-way stop and he never ever braked! He just cruised right on through as the other cars came to a halt.

"DAD!" I yelled at him. "That was a 4-way stop and you just went right on through!"

To which he said, "I am old. I have stopped enough times in my life. Let them stop this time."



He was totally serious. He felt like he didn't have to stop because he was, "old".

Thank God he is living with my sister now and not driving at all. I shudder to think of all the damage and heartache he might have caused, to us and another family, if he kept driving.

At what age do I loose my nut and think the same way?

Holy cow!

My buddy was driving and his father was a passenger when they were pulled over for a traffic stop. His father, developing dementia, kept saying to take off the cops would never catch them.

http://www.wickedlocal.com/newton/news/x412540736/Harvard-professor-late-when-he-struck-killed-Kearney

I emailed the author and he confirmed that the report is from the police report

I requested that he also try to do an update on the accident that killed Dr Andrew McAfee and month later and less than two miles away and he indicated that he would.

It is amazing to me how some people can convince themselves that they did nothing wrong even when it is obvious that they did. Maybe he has dementia.

Thanks for posting.

It definitely sounds like a disconnect from his account and the eye witness, but I guess that is to be expected. It comes off as if he thinks that the fact that he was detoured and running late was an excuse.

It also sounded as is his wife was in the car with him. Earlier reports left impression he had dropped her off for the appointment

Given that he he hit her from behind that is the only explanation.

This is the one that scares me, as there was nothing the scooterist could possibly have done to avoid being hit and killed.

Fortunately, it is only 2.9% of accidents according to the Hurt Report and also tended to be lower speed in most cases as the driver was already breaking.

This of course, is an outlier.

I don't know what good it will do to send an 81 year old man to jail, but financial penalties should apply for the survivors.

Thanks for keeping up with this story!

I agree on the jail time, but if they haven't revoked his license they should