Court TV Drag Racing Trial

[srv1]

Well said 20lbs.

I dont understand why some of you are actually against these two criminal charges. He was RACING and KILLED innocent people. Then you are trying to justify that they should get a lessor sentence since it wasnt premeditated? Come on! They used their car as a weapon. If I had a gun and it ACCIDENTALLY went off and killed someone, guess what would happen to me.

Hope those SOB's get life like I stated before

James

Originally posted by Skyman
How different would it be if the person was plain speeding and not racing?

Skyler

Well, criminal culpability depends on the amount of negligence.

Last year I responded to a true "accident" where an 18 yr old girl turned left from a store out onto a main road and in front of a motorcyclist. The bike had just turned onto the road from an intersecting road following another vehicle. He then abruptly changed lanes and accelerated past the lead vehicle when the girl pulled onto the road. She didn't see the bike whatsoever due to the lead vehicle blocking her view. The speed limit was 50mph and he was going that fast if not faster. It was an accident in the true sense of the word. The cyclist died. I was one of the few people he set eyes on before he passed. He was 23 and had just gotten engaged. I say this because in my opinion it really wasn't anyone's "fault" but the prosecutors saw it differently. They charged her with Neglegent Homicide to which she plead guilty. The letter of the law said she "failed to yield the right of way" which made her criminally responsible. Justice wasn't served and nobody came out on top.

[silver_pilate]

I don't think anyone's trying to dispute the charges or justify anything here, James.

There's no disputing that the people racing are in the wrong (they were breaking the law), and because of their actions, someone lost their life (partially due to the fact that he/she failed to yield to the oncoming, all-be-it speeding, motorists). That's tragic.

However, there is a reason for the scaling of punishments for illeagal actions. Let's say I was chopping down a tree with an ax and you were standing beside the tree. If I'm in the middle of a swing and you slip and put you hand out to catch yourself against the tree, and I chop it off with my ax, that is truly tragic. However it is unlikely there will be criminal charges. On the other hand, if I tie you with nylon rope to the tree and I take my ax and chop your hand off, I will probably go to jail. The end is the same, but the means is different.

In the case of the street racers, there will be consequences to pay because laws were broken. No one is denying that. However, it will be in scale to the amount of criminal intent and negligence that is involved.

Hate to hear this kind of story. Everyone loses, especially the families of those involved. And that story of the girl and the motorcycle: that is truly tragic for all concerned.

--nathan