Texter Gets 6 Years for Vehicular Manslaughter

ShortNews ^

[Chet 99]

04/04/2009 11:45 PM ID: 78042 Permalink

Texter Gets 6 Years for Vehicular Manslaughter

California: Shingletown resident Deborah Matis-Engle, 49, received a six-year prison sentence Friday for gross vehicular manslaughter. She was convicted last month for killing Petra Monika Winn, 46, by ramming her car while texting with her phone.

Judge Cara Beatty, despite hearing from friends of Matis-Engle that she was a gentle, caring and loving person, made it clear that she was not the same person as a motorist. "She drove without any concept that people might be in her path," she said.

Matis-Engle was going at least 66 mph when she rammed a line of cars in a construction zone on a road she took daily. She ignored eight warning signs while paying bills on her phone. An officer spotted her texting twice only months after the crash.

[Tax-chick]

Good. I hope she serves the full term.

[Drango]

seems fair and justice was served.

[Sawdring]

[Jagdgewehr]

Funny. In another state North of California, “1st Degree” manslaughter only gets you 72 days in jail.

[tvdog12345]

She drove without any concept that people might be in her path

Isn't that the way most women drive?

[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

Me too.

I can't tell you how sick I am of having to swerve or brake to dodge some selfish bastard on the road only to look over and see them texting.

[freedumb2003]

So much for all of you who say “I can work my phone and drive!”

You can’t change the brain’s wiring.

One of the very few things California has done right is to not only pass a law against using cell phines while driving, but to make it a presumption of guilt if you get in an accident while doing so. It makes resultant death an automatic Manslaughter charge.

[Tax-chick]

And I’m sure they’re all “gentle, caring, and loving” people, except that they don’t give a flying FReep if they kill someone because they had to text (or talk, or watch video) while driving.

[Chet 99]

Just like all those “gentle and caring” pit bulls people talk about on here.

[DemforBush]

Wish it was more than 6 years, but at least she’s going to do actual prison time. I just hope she does the full 6 years (I’m not holding my breath on that, either).

[Tax-chick]

They have the excuse of being dogs. Humans don’t have an excuse for deliberately engaging in actions that they know are dangerous to others - whether it’s texting while driving or having a pit bull unsupervised!

[bgill]

An officer spotted her texting twice only months after the crash.

So, was she ticketed those two times or what?

[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

Yep. Among the expletives I mutter and hurl, the one constant is “Selfish. You selfish pig.”

At the base of the issue is that some people on the roads don’t want to acknowledge that two tons of steel doing 60 or 70 is potentially lethal. They’d rather have fun and let that bullet fly where it may.

[mkjessup]

They have the excuse of being dogs. Humans don’t have an excuse for deliberately engaging in actions that they know are dangerous to others - whether it’s texting while driving or having a pit bull unsupervised!

I just hope this thread doesn't turn into another pit-bull bashing festival, pit bulls are usually highly responsible as you can see in the following transcript below:

*** T.E.X.T.I.N.G -between- P.I.T B.U.L.L.S. ***

Rex: "WHAAAAZZZZUPPPPP??!?!"
Tex: "WHAAAAZZZZUPPPPP??!?!"
Rex: "Whatchu DOIN'?!?
Tex: "Not much, textin' you while drivin' my Escalade"
Rex: "WHOOOO, ESCALADE!??!
Tex: "YEAAAH maaan, my human loans it to me on the weekends"
Rex: "Ya lucky mutt, bite anybody lately?"
Tex: "OH Yeaaaahhh, ate me a 2 year old last week!"
Rex: "WHOA! What flavor?"
Tex: "Hispanic, had a hankerin' for somethin' spicy."
Rex: "I can dig it, I'm feelin' like Chinese right now."
Tex: "Big Chinese wedding down the street, meet ya there?"
Rex: "oh YEAAAHHH, I'm THERE! But be careful ok?"
Tex: "Be CAREFUL?!? WHAAA?"
Rex: "We're drivin' down the Interstate, and texting!"
Tex: "Ohhh right, gotcha, hey you want the fortune cookies?"
Rex: "Naaah, just the little kids."
Tex: "LATERZ!"


See? it IS possible for our noble Pit Bulls to not only operate motor vehicles safely, but to text each other responsibly.

"Next time you see a Pit Bull, say hello: it might be the last thing you do in life."

[kcvl]

Shasta County prosecutor Stephanie Bridgett said the 49-year-old woman had paid several bills by cell phone in the moments before the crash.

She was in the middle of one of those transactions when she struck a vehicle that burst into flames, killing 46-year-old Petra Winn.

Engle was driving at least 66 mph

[Tax-chick]

don’t want to acknowledge that two tons of steel doing 60 or 70 is potentially lethal

Yes, you're right. I'm sure they wouldn't throw a brick at a random person's head, or stand on the street corner shooting a gun at passing strangers. But the cause-and-effect of driving like idiots isn't as predictable and obvious, so it doesn't exist to them.

[Tax-chick]

LOL!

[Tax-chick]

Zot! GUILTY!

That is NOT a “gentle, caring, and loving” face.

[Chet 99]

I don’t need to see any further evidence, that photo is sufficient.

GUILTY