Local Tragedy - What Would You Think?

[mtblujeans]

Last June, just as school let out for the summer, a local girl my oldest son's age was killed just a couple of miles from her home in a car accident.

There is so much construction going on in our 'little' community that the houses are beginning to surround the industrial areas and a nearby gravel pit has had a noticeable increase in the full gravel trucks leaving the pit. Our roads are not being upgraded for the increase in car and dump truck trips, either....they are narrow and the intersections in this rural area only have stop signs.

In the accident mentioned above, a dump truck full of gravel slowed down but did not stop at a stop sign (as that is the way those full trucks are driving - they feel it is too much strain on the brakes to come to a full stop) and the driver did not see the girl on the cross road in her little car. He pulled out to make a wide turn and saw her car after he rolled into the intersection. He tried to make an opposite turn to miss her car but it did not work. He hit her and rolled over on top of her car and crushed both the girl and the car. They had to use the jaws of life to get to the poor girls' body.

After investigation, it was announced that the driver did not come to a full stop and his brakes had not been inspected, nor would they have passed inspection at the time of the accident.

Today, the judge sentenced the driver. He will pay fines and restitution and has been sentenced to 10 years in prison....but he will only serve 30 days in prison as the 10 years has been suspended!

What do you think? What if this had happened in your town? As I have a 17 year old driving in my family, I have some pretty strong opinions, myself, but I can't print most of it here!

 

[lynetteSC]

WOW! I am sure that one mistake will haunt the guy forever, but I can't even imagine what the parents of the girl must feel like!

 

[goodeats]

Was it the driver's dump truck or was he just an employee who drove the trucks?

If it's the latter I don't think he should be sentenced to time. Even if it's the former I don't see how sending this guy to prison for 10 years would solve anything. Why should he go to prison? For not stopping completely? For not properly inspecting the brakes? I'm sure the guy learned his lesson, but I think sending him away for 10 years would add to the tragedy not diminish it.

 

[tiggersmom2]

I don't know....so many emotions in cases like these. I don't see what purpose it would serve to have the guy serve 10 years in prison. It was an accident, a horrible, tragic accident.

It is not like the guy meant to kill her, he even tried to avoid her. I would also take a gander that he was just a driver for the dump-truck company and it would have been the owner's responsibility to maintain the brakes.

If we put everyone who ran or rolled a stop sign or light in prison.....there would be a whole lot of folks there. I prefer to see the hardened criminals in prison. JMHO.

 

[mtblujeans]

The driver owned the dump truck.

The parents and friends of the family have made a small shrine out of that spot as the car was knocked into the corner of the field across the road and broke through the wooden corner post. They put flowers out there and the girls' picture is posted there.

They are trying to get the truck drivers to stop at that corner and most of them still roll through as they don't want to wear the brakes down by stopping with a full load of gravel!

We drive by that corner many times a day to get to and from home. We see the trucks roll through the stop as we approach that intersection.

 

[Lil_Tink]

We have a construction sight near us, and they've actually stationed a full time guy just to stand and direct traffic around the site. He monitors the trucks coming in and out of the site with the traffic flow from the side roads and makes sure passenger cars are a good distance from where the trucks turn out. This has actually been a lifesaver (probably for many), because those trucks come barrelling out of that site. I know this isn't the right solution - just a band-aid fix. The truckers should drive cautiously.

 

[Shugardrawers]

I don't see where sending him to jail would serve any purpose. It was a tragic accident for which he was at fault. He didn't shoot her point blank with a gun or purposely kill her. He'll be haunted the rest of his life and I'm sure he and his employer will be sued to within an inch of their lives and rightfully so. But prison? I don't see the purpose.

 

[pamlet]

I'm sort of in agreement that 10 years seems very harsh...

I would think we'd have to know all the circumstances.

Did he admit that he didn't come to a full stop or is it one of those things where a friends cousin's brother-in-law said that none of those trucks come to a full stop? That's the type of thing you hear bandied about when a tragedy like this happens.

If it was the brakes ... and he is not responsible, but the company is - then I think the sentence was fair ... he'll be living with the knowledge of this the rest of his life.

How tragic and sad for your community...

 

[ChrisnSteph]

I don't see where sending him to jail would serve any purpose. It was a tragic accident for which he was at fault. He didn't shoot her point blank with a gun or purposely kill her. He'll be haunted the rest of his life and I'm sure he and his employer will be sued to within an inch of their lives and rightfully so. But prison? I don't see the purpose.

I agree. But if I were the girls parents, I would probably be feeling differently. It sounds like a tragic accident. I don't agree with 10 years of prison. How many of us have rolled stop signs or followed every rule of the road?

 

[Feralpeg]

We also have a great deal of construction around us. Those huge dump trucks are everywhere. I am very leary of them. I'm still trying to get DD (age 17) to get her license, but she is afraid. In many ways, I cant blame her and it does scare me to think of her on the road with all of those trucks. I can't wait until our area is fully developed and the trucks are gone.

As for the truck driver responsible for the girl's death, I have mixed feelings. Yes, he broke the law. However, I'm sure he will be punished every day for the rest of his life thinking about what he did. I'm not big on sending people to prison unless what they did makes them a danger to society. I think society would be better served if he had to visit construction sites and tell his story to others so that they are aware of what could result from their actions. Such a sad story.

 

[nwdisgal]

We also have a great deal of construction around us. Those huge dump trucks are everywhere. I am very leary of them. I'm still trying to get DD (age 17) to get her license, but she is afraid. In many ways, I cant blame her and it does scare me to think of her on the road with all of those trucks. I can't wait until our area is fully developed and the trucks are gone.

As for the truck driver responsible for the girl's death, I have mixed feelings. Yes, he broke the law. However, I'm sure he will be punished every day for the rest of his life thinking about what he did. I'm not big on sending people to prison unless what they did makes them a danger to society. I think society would be better served if he had to visit construction sites and tell his story to others so that they are aware of what could result from their actions. Such a sad story.

Yes, you are right. This guy is going to be punished every day thinking about this accident. That is punishment enough. I do feel very badly for the family of the girl, too. If it were my child, I don't know what I'd do in those circumstances. I really feel bad for both sides.

 

[Lachesis00]

In Alaska we had 4 terrible accidents like this. Amazingly enough the stories got swept under the rug.

A child got hit by a truck on his way to school (they never released any info on the driver, man, women, old, young). The mom petitions everyone to contact the police and get something resolved. No one knows the true story, did the kid run across the street (many say the kid had the right away but the truck did a right hand turn at a high rate of speed) or did the truck have the OK, did the kid have the OK. There is a JR High and elementary school right there and there is a crosswalk but no one attends it (adults) b/c it isn't on school property.. it's maybe a block away from the elementary.

Then this summer a dump truck ran over a guy crossing and killed him. Never heard anything on that.

A gal got hit ON a crosswalk by a guy and killed... never heard any updates on that one.

Oh and a lady was killed 2 years ago in the *same* spot the little boy was... I heard for that one all the lights were green (mis-functioning) but I don't know how true that one was. Again she was on the cross walk and the car did a right hand turn (on a red light).

In all cases nothing about the cases were released. Was the driver a man or women, old or young, did the vehicles have issues that might have caused the accident. It's like they never happened

While I think 10 years is harsh, at the same time someone needs to be held responsible to some degree. Do not just sweep it under the rug.

 

[CharlesTD]

Last June, just as school let out for the summer, a local girl my oldest son's age was killed just a couple of miles from her home in a car accident.

There is so much construction going on in our 'little' community that the houses are beginning to surround the industrial areas and a nearby gravel pit has had a noticeable increase in the full gravel trucks leaving the pit. Our roads are not being upgraded for the increase in car and dump truck trips, either....they are narrow and the intersections in this rural area only have stop signs.

In the accident mentioned above, a dump truck full of gravel slowed down but did not stop at a stop sign (as that is the way those full trucks are driving - they feel it is too much strain on the brakes to come to a full stop) and the driver did not see the girl on the cross road in her little car. He pulled out to make a wide turn and saw her car after he rolled into the intersection. He tried to make an opposite turn to miss her car but it did not work. He hit her and rolled over on top of her car and crushed both the girl and the car. They had to use the jaws of life to get to the poor girls' body.

After investigation, it was announced that the driver did not come to a full stop and his brakes had not been inspected, nor would they have passed inspection at the time of the accident.

Today, the judge sentenced the driver. He will pay fines and restitution and has been sentenced to 10 years in prison....but he will only serve 30 days in prison as the 10 years has been suspended!

What do you think? What if this had happened in your town? As I have a 17 year old driving in my family, I have some pretty strong opinions, myself, but I can't print most of it here!

Ok my first question is this was the guy driving the truck and owner operator or was it a company truck and he was just the driver? This will make a huge impact in my view if he is the owner operator then I think he should recieve everything they hand out but if he was just teh driver of a company truck they the company should be held more accountable due to the lack of upkeep on teh trucks and the driver is also a victim of unfortunate events brought upon him but the company he drove for.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

That sucks!

I think he got off easy--and I also think he never stood the chance of seeing the full sentence. Here's what I was told for my incident that luckily didn't kill me.

When I was 19, I was driving on I-75. A garbage truck lost its drive shaft...this is a HUGE metal structure. It was bouncing in the road--the car in front of me swerved and I caught it as it hit the ground and drove over it...shattering it to pieces (and into vehicles behind me).

The officer that responded--discovered teh guy had expired tags...but opted to NOT write him a ticket. The reasoning--big company...stuff easily falls thru and she gave him the benefit of doubt of an oversight.

I suspect that the lawyer for the driver in your story--basically showed that he was just doing his job and doing as he was told...as opposed to a regular person driving their own vehicle. And probably played up the whole lack of inspection as an oversight b/c the company was so large. Very screwy IMHO. Just bugs me that they can get let off.


The problem I have with--he'll suffer everyday...and how many of us run stop signs and such....we aren't driving a big honkin' vehicle that could tip over and crush a car. We do a california stop---and run into another vehicle...chances are we'll walk away. Driving big equipment--you need to moniter what you are doing and be extra cautious. Isn't that why they have a CDL???? B/c there are extra rules, extra precautions?

10 years is probably too harsh. 30 days..I think is too light. The company however--should be sued for negligence. And Mr. Dump truck driver--should have his CDL suspended.

I'll admit to bias. Bouncing heavy metal will do that to ya. A few more feet--I wouldn't be alive to type this message.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

They are trying to get the truck drivers to stop at that corner and most of them still roll through as they don't want to wear the brakes down by stopping with a full load of gravel!

If I were the parents--I would be begging the police station to put a few cops out there and pull over EVERY truck that doesn't stop.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

To me, by continuing to cruise through the stop signs show that the drivers are not taking this whole thing seriously. The loss of an innocent life is not enough to make them change their practices. Very sad.

I think that prison time should be served. Maybe not 10 years, but the remainder can be community service hours. And an officer should patrol that stop and ticket trucks that are not stopping all the way.

And sure, we've all coasted through stop signs on occasion, but we are not driving gigantic, heavy, hard to control gravel trucks. And actually, I don't coast through stops any more after getting a speeding ticket 13 years or so ago and seeing all the people in court who were ticketed for rolling through stop signs when turning right. And of course we'd be ticketed for that, but I doubt the police are going to ticket these truck drivers if they haven't yet.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

We do a california stop---

That's what we always called it...where are you from? I figured that it was just an Oregon thing to call it that.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

That's what we always called it...where are you from? I figured that it was just an Oregon thing to call it that.

East coast...that's just what I have always been told what they were called. I don't even know what the official term is.

Maybe I watched to much CHiPs growing up.

ETA: I don't do these at all. The only tickets in my life are for non-moving violations...and those were bad enough. I don't want a ticket for driving bad.

 

[Hillbeans]

This story hits close to home because they're doing a construction project in my development and with daylight savings, they're driving these large trucks past 5 pm, in the dark, with no lights. I worry every night someone is going to get into an accident with one of these vehicles.

I don't agree with 10 years in jail, 100 years in jail wouldn't bring my child back, however i'd probably expect some restitution and some change to how the construction company is operating.

 

[robinb]

I think the driver should do the time. All of it. As an owner/operator he chose to (1) not have his brakes inspected as he should by law (2) not replace his brakes when he should have by law and (3) not stop fully at a stop sign by law. Why? Because he didn't want to wear his brakes and spend $$ replacing them quicker. He chose to save money over the law and the safety of others on the road. And now someone is dead because of his negligence and greed. Oh yes, he deserves every single day of the 10 years.