My poor daughter witnessed a fatality today

Mrs. Robinson

Mrs. Robinson

Well-known Member
Location
Nampa,Idaho
She is a driving instructor and had a teen driver in the car. A car hit a bicyclist and then took off. She stopped and the teen she was teaching jumped out and ran to check on the man while she called 911. He rolled him over but he was already gone-his helmet had been smashed to bits.

My sister and BIL live right up the road,so she called them to see if they knew who he was. They came right away but didn`t know him. My sister saw the blue,flat line as they tested him to see if he was alive.

They did catch the woman who hit him,at least.

My 3 daughters,my sister and I are going to Idaho on Friday to see my granddaughter. I haven`t seen her since she moved to Alaska five years ago and my daughter,her mom,hasn`t either. We were so looking forward to this trip,but now I`m afraid it will be a bit sad.
 

People who run from the scene of a crime, regardless of the state/condition of the injured, should be locked-up in jail for life.
 
Aneeda72 said:
I disagree. Sometimes people are in shock and denial over what happened. Sometimes people think they hit a dog not a person. Sometimes people don’t even realize that they hit anything.
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If someone is that out to lunch that they cannot differentiate between a person, an animal, or a bird, and then they have the audacity to flee the scene, I say throw the book at them!

Anyone who falls into the category above should NOT be behind the wheel of any moving thing.
 
Aunt Marg said:
People who run from the scene of a crime, regardless of the state/condition of the injured, should be locked-up in jail for life.
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Isn't that exactly what they are trying to avoid ?

Every time I hear of a pedestrian/auto accident or bicyclist/auto accident, I have to wonder. What was the pedestrian/bicyclist doing in the street ? It is almost never heard of, that the car came up on the sidewalk . Yes I know technically a bicycle has the right of way, but I have seen many'a fool riding their bicycles in a reckless , devil may care fashion. I'm not talking about kids either, I'm talking about adults that should know better.

Should the auto driver be charged [they almost always are], just because the "victim" was careless ?

I need to know more about the incident .
 
rgp said:
Isn't that exactly what they are trying to avoid ?

Every time I hear of a pedestrian/auto accident or bicyclist/auto accident, I have to wonder. What was the pedestrian/bicyclist doing in the street ? It is almost never heard of, that the car came up on the sidewalk . Yes I know technically a bicycle has the right of way, but I have seen many'a fool riding their bicycles in a reckless , devil may care fashion. I'm not talking about kids either, I'm talking about adults that should know better.

Should the auto driver be charged [they almost always are], just because the "victim" was careless ?

I need to know more about the incident .
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I'm sure there are incidents where bicyclists are negligent, but I simply cannot imagine fleeing the scene of a crime like this, that is, as you so noted, to avoid charges/jail time.
 
Aneeda72 said:
I disagree. Sometimes people are in shock and denial over what happened. Sometimes people think they hit a dog not a person. Sometimes people don’t even realize that they hit anything.
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You mean like when someone hits someone, and the person get's lodged under the vehicle, and then to add insult to injury (no pun intended), the driver continues driving until the poor soul under the vehicle is ground up into hamburger, and then and only then do they stop (miles later), because someone has flagged them down to bring to their attention that a person is under their vehicle?
 
rgp said:
Every time I hear of a pedestrian/auto accident or bicyclist/auto accident, I have to wonder. What was the pedestrian/bicyclist doing in the street ? It is almost never heard of, that the car came up on the sidewalk . Yes I know technically a bicycle has the right of way, but I have seen many'a fool riding their bicycles in a reckless , devil may care fashion. I'm not talking about kids either, I'm talking about adults that should know better.
Should the auto driver be charged [they almost always are], just because the "victim" was careless
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You point out an uncomfortable truth. I have come upon bicyclists riding side by side and chatting like they own the road and are unaware of who is behind them. Road signs concerning bicyclists here say "Share the road" not take it over.
 
In NYC traffic, bikers are the greatest danger to pedestrians. They go through red lights as often as not. They defy drivers right of way, daring the car to hit them. They ride on sidewalks. I fear the bikers more than the cars. Years ago, my mom's friend was hit by a biker messenger. He died (the friend)
 
Aunt Marg said:
You mean like when someone hits someone, and the person get's lodged under the vehicle, and then to add insult to injury (no pun intended), the driver continues driving until the poor soul under the vehicle is ground up into hamburger, and then and only then do they stop (miles later), because someone has flagged them down to bring to their attention that a person is under their vehicle?
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Many accident are just “side brushes” where a mirror may hit the bike and the driver of the car is unaware. The accident type that you are talking about while dramatic is not common. Plus, bikes don’t follow the law and are just as responsible as the cars in those cases.

In Utah, if you hit a dog it is treated as if you hit a person in terms of response. You must stop and wait, with the dog, until police arrive, and god forbid you hit a duck. If a duck is crossing the road everyone must stop and wait while the duck decides to move. Ducks rule.
 
It's always been my understanding that the driver of a vehicle is responsible, even if the pedestrian did something careless. By driving a big, powerful machine, which a car is, the driver must look out for anything and anybody that is smaller and weaker, even if they are doing things that are less than brilliant.

So, "He stepped out into the road without looking," or "the bicyclist swerved into the car lane" don't qualify as excuses. The driver always has to be prepared for that to happen.
 
Pepper said:
How is your daughter's teen-age student, @Mrs. Robinson? Is anyone checking up on his trauma? A horrible sight to witness for anybody, but teens are very susceptible.
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You make a very good point,Pepper.I will tell her to call his parents today to check on him.He so happens to be a friend of her son and his older brother was a very good friend of her older son.Even my husband and I knew the older brother very well when he was in high school. I`m pretty sure my daughter knows the parents,at least casually.
 
Sunny said:
It's always been my understanding that the driver of a vehicle is responsible, even if the pedestrian did something careless. By driving a big, powerful machine, which a car is, the driver must look out for anything and anybody that is smaller and weaker, even if they are doing things that are less than brilliant.

So, "He stepped out into the road without looking," or "the bicyclist swerved into the car lane" don't qualify as excuses. The driver always has to be prepared for that to happen.
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This has always been my understating as well.
 
One of my cousins witnessed a car accident years ago. Fortunately, no fatalities, but he tried to pull a woman out of her car by her arm. She later claimed he broke her arm and dislocated her shoulder and sued him. I don't think anything came of it because she couldn't prove her injuries weren't sustained in the accident. Just be careful who you help.
 
I’m so sorry that your daughter & her student had to witness such a terrible tragedy. But I hope that she can take comfort in teaching people especially youth the best and safest way to drive, and to try to help if they come upon the scene of one. Take comfort on how many times her teaching has probably prevented accidents over the years.
 
Mrs. Robinson said:
You make a very good point,Pepper.I will tell her to call his parents today to check on him.He so happens to be a friend of her son and his older brother was a very good friend of her older son.Even my husband and I knew the older brother very well when he was in high school. I`m pretty sure my daughter knows the parents,at least casually.
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I called her and she did call and check on him last night. Her boss,the driving school owner did as well. And my grandson did too. Apparently he called my grandson and told him what happened as soon as my daughter took him home.
 
The man who was hit was 73.His wife is our librarian here.There are no sidewalks where he was hit but there are bike lanes. He was pretty well known here-active in many groups-a VietNam Vet who served two tours of duty.
 
Sorry for that experience Mrs R. They will only relive it for some time to come.

We were headed on a road trip, on Interstate 10, from Texas to Florida one day several years ago. Coming over a hill in LA. there was the strangest, gruesome sight I've ever seen. Across several lanes were 3 dead bodies lying in the road, all men, along with the contents of a trailer that exploded open all over the road and median .... clothes and belongings everywhere!
Never did get the story of that tragedy ... overloaded? jackknifed? And how did they all get thrown into the road?

Police hadn't gotten there yet, but we heard the sirens in the distance.. A crowd was forming on both sides of the interstate.
You just don't forget scenes like that! It ruined our getaway for sure.
 
rgp said:
Isn't that exactly what they are trying to avoid ?

Every time I hear of a pedestrian/auto accident or bicyclist/auto accident, I have to wonder. What was the pedestrian/bicyclist doing in the street ? It is almost never heard of, that the car came up on the sidewalk . Yes I know technically a bicycle has the right of way, but I have seen many'a fool riding their bicycles in a reckless , devil may care fashion. I'm not talking about kids either, I'm talking about adults that should know better.

Should the auto driver be charged [they almost always are], just because the "victim" was careless ?

I need to know more about the incident .
Click to expand...
This happens to me so much as bicyclists here are careless and can take over the whole road and don't always signal when they're going to make a turn or switch lanes. They are accidents waiting to happen but if you hit a bicyclist with a motor vehicle it's your fault. I do think the driver should have stopped, but knowing how tough it is with bicyclists on the road all the time, I wouldn't judge.
 
Sunny said:
It's always been my understanding that the driver of a vehicle is responsible, even if the pedestrian did something careless. By driving a big, powerful machine, which a car is, the driver must look out for anything and anybody that is smaller and weaker, even if they are doing things that are less than brilliant.

So, "He stepped out into the road without looking," or "the bicyclist swerved into the car lane" don't qualify as excuses. The driver always has to be prepared for that to happen.
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That is not the law here, everyone can share responsibility
 

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