Court TV Drag Racing Trial

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.