Posted on 05/19/2010 11:06:18 AM PDT by DJ MacWoW
Mount Pleasant -- A man who drove his SUV into two motorcycles that were stopped at a red light last week, killing both riders, will face no criminal charges and will be cited for a minor traffic offense.
Charles J. McDonald, 38, of Meggett, was driving the Ford Explorer that struck the motorcyclists shortly before 11:30 a.m. May 11 on U.S. Highway 17 at Anna Knapp Boulevard, according to police. Motorcyclists James Doucette, 80, of Port Charlotte, Fla., and James Hines, 50, of Yaphank, N.Y., died in the accident, and the driver of a car stopped in front of them, 73-year-old Mary Lucarelli of Mount Pleasant, was injured.
(Excerpt) Read more at postandcourier.com ...
Capt. Stan Gragg said police had no reason to believe alcohol or drugs were involved in the incident, and did not have cause to test McDonald. He also said there was no indication a cell phone was being used at the time of the wreck
ping
It was the brakes! No, sorry. That was a Toyota.
Is FORD still Fix or Repair Daily!
FORD was the only major not to take the bailout though.
No alcohol or drugs, no cell phone use, (I’m guessing) no wet/slippery street, no mechanical problems. How fast was he going again? Coming up on that ‘red’ light.
This is a real head scratcher. There has to be more to it then what is being reported.
Huh?
Red light. Failure to stop. Dead people.
No big deal?
The speed limit, 45 mph. But the police don't see a problem? Ok.
There doesn’t seem to be any provision in most traffic codes for collisions with particularly “vulnerable” vehicles such as motorcycles or tiny econoboxes. If instead of the bikes, it was an SUV sitting at the red light, and a similar vehicle going a little too fast for conditions slid into the SUV, probably nobody would have been hurt and we’d see a very minor traffic charge.
Could be the bikes stopped conservatively for the yellow while the SUV driver was trying to nick the red light.
Such cases are treated quite differently if the driver was under the influence of alcohol or drugs, even if the outcomes are similar.
Apparently it's ok if you have no excuse for killing a biker but not ok under the influence.
My thoughts too. There is something called “involuntary manslaughter.” Why was he not charged. Maybe they figure this thing will be handled in the civil courts. ;)
I think there is something missing here.
McDonald's vehicle struck the two motorcycles, then Lucarelli's truck, and her truck then struck the last vehicle in line at the traffic light,
Accidentally killing people isn’t necessarily criminal, but but in civil court, he will be found grossly negligent and he will pay a huge financial penalty, it would seem to me.
I ride a motorcycle and these sorts of drivers are my primary concern. I’ve heard of too many incidents where bikers are killed stopped in traffic at a red light. Seems there’s never a time when riding not to feel invisible and vulnerable and need eyes in the back of your head.
I check my mirrors regularly when stopped at a light, particularly when there is no vehicle behind me; I try to maintain space for evasion ahead; and I always idle in low, never neutral.
Ah, I see.
Maybe some cars can stop on a dime and give eight cents change.
A police report says McDonald was going the speed limit, 45 mph, when he struck the stopped vehicles, and lists "driving too fast for conditions" and "distraction/inattention" as contributing factors in the accident.
I’d say that was going lickety split.
Yeah. And 2 dead bikers. I'm just not getting this.
Me too.
Isn’t killing two people in a car wreck probable cause for D&A testing???????
One would think so.
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