Posted on 04/25/2012 6:26:25 PM PDT by Theoria
San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón is preparing to file felony vehicular manslaughter charges against Chris Bucchere, the bicyclist who fatally struck a 71-year-old pedestrian in the Castro district last month.
The felony charge - which could result in a 16-month sentence for Bucchere if he is convicted - is a sharp contrast to the misdemeanor count prosecutors filed in a case last year in which a bicyclist struck and killed a woman along the Embarcadero.
The difference this time is prosecutors' conclusion that Bucchere, 35, was grossly negligent in his riding before he ran into Sutchi Hui in a crosswalk at Market and Castro streets March 29.
"I think the evidence is very strong," said one source inside the D.A.'s office, who asked not to be named while the charges are still pending.
The problem wasn't that Bucchere ran a red light - prosecutors think the light was yellow when he rode into the intersection heading south.
But before that, a motorist reported seeing Bucchere fly through several red lights and stop signs along Divisadero Street leading up to the intersection, said police Capt. Denis O'Leary, head of the hit-and-run detail that investigated the collision.
Also, a tracker on Bucchere's bike allegedly showed he was riding faster than 35 mph in a 25-mph zone.
Finally, a video taken from a surveillance camera at 17th and Market streets reportedly showed a hunched-over Bucchere speeding through the intersection, making little or no attempt to stop before hitting Hui on the far side.
"It really shows his recklessness," O'Leary said.
In short, prosecutors will argue that - light or no light - Bucchere was traveling at an unsafe speed and failed to yield to Hui in the crosswalk.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Arrogant twits do it all the time around here. I guess they
think that because they are smaller than a car it gives them
special privileges. Sorry, shoot someone with a .22 or an
elephant gun and it's the same charge if you kill them.
By the way, I chickened out at the bottom of that hill, due to hi-speed wobble. I think 56 or 57 was there. Plus that stop sign came up really fast. Still remember the name of that, Roberts Road in upstate New York. Had a 30 mph tailwind that day, probably a 7% grade. It's really hard to get the bike moving that fast. I was only around 30 yrs old back then, 20-some years ago. I wouldn't try that again unless I had full leathers and a full-face helmet. :P Cheers.
What a beautiful church.
No. It's simply that the interesting posters got banned.
If you are plot it out, you will find a strong correlation between the length of FReepathons and the number of long time FReeper characters zotted.
Just sayin'...
I did that once, in traffic in Toronto. Exhilarating, but never again.
We have a rally here in N. Texas called the Muenster Germanfest. Out on the north side of the course, just past St. Jo, there is a hill called Freefall. I don’t know the metrics but when you go over that thing you have about a mile or so of downhill in front of you. Hit that thing with a slight tailwind and it is all about staying off the brakes and avoiding the people who are grabbing them.
I am older now and probably would not do that again. Bwahahaha, my PR was the day after putting my ‘91 Paramount back together after a full rebuild, hadn’t even tested it yet.
I couldn’t see a damn thing, the wind was up under my glasses and my eyes were watery and blurry, but you know what bro? Glory is forever, fear is temporary ;)
The Gods did not want me in Valhalla that day, I guess.
There was another hill in upstate NY, east of Delta Reservoir, really steep, that was good for 65-70 mph. Problem was it was covered with patched potholes, bumpy as hell. I never had the nerve. One of our young civilian engineers did it, but he was hardcore, a competitive cyclist. He used to ride his mtn bike to work in the dead of winter. He put tiny screws in his knobby tires, to make studded tires. Back in the Cold War days.
Diff is most of the roads here in Texas are fairly smooth. A lot of chipseal, but for the most part you can go as far as your fear will let you.
I’ve done some crazy stuff on bikes, and somehow I still sit here and tell stories. Nowdays I mostly ride off-road, my best road days are behind me. Did the Hotter’n Hell Hundred ten times I guess, some other notable rides around here. A couple of 150s and one 24-hour. Made 243 miles on that one, RAAM qualifier, came in 4th overall. That was 20 years ago, couldn’t do that now if my life depended on it.
Scaredest I ever felt was down on the River Road in Big Bend NP down along the Rio Grande. Came around a curve on that old gravel road and ran into a big old hombre standing behind an octotillo with his arms crossed, just glaring at me. I wasn’t sure what was about to happen, I mean I was a few hundred meters from old Mexico. I rode by without making eye contact and went on my way. Like a fool, most of my time in the Chihuahuan desert has been solo, but I always liked it that way.
Nobody ever said I have good sense. But I have had some fun times, some death defying times, in my day. I don’t regret none of it.
Smart, hell no, but epic. Hell yeah!
That’s what happens when the dues come do!
I would prefer a smaller clientele myself.
Ban pedal pushers from the public streets!!!
Geez I wish I had that kind of energy any more. It sucks getting old. Lord calling me to Him, saying "You ain't long for this world, and you got other priorities."
And I've come close to being hit by one traveling at a high rate of speed. It happened a few years ago as I was leaving work. I had just stepped outside the workplace door, (which is recessed from the sidewalk by about ten feet), walked the ten feet to the edge of the sidewalk, and as I cleared the recess and was about to step onto the sidewalk, a bicyclist came barreling down the sidewalk and missed me by less than a foot. If he would have hit me, it would have meant the hospital for sure or worse.
—The cyclist might have entered the intersection on a yellow light, but by the time he reached the other side, pedestrians had filled the crosswalk.—
Good point. That said, did you ever do something dumb when you were younger and, fortunately, nobody got hurt? I think the guy should be held responsible, no doubt about it, but it’s not like he shot someone while robbing a liquor store.
He WILL live with this the rest of his life, no matter what happens. This is sad for both sides.
When I lived in Seattle, my step-son was a bike messenger. He went to two of his friend’s funerals, both of whom were killed at downtown Seattle traffic lights. One was killed when he ran a red light, the other was killed when another car ran a red light.
I shadowed my step son one day (I’m an avid bicyclist myself) and was shocked at how he would ride on the sidewalk and come up behind clearly upper middle class middle aged women near Nordstrom and barely miss them. If any of them had suddenly changed direction, KAPOW!
I told him he was playing Russian Roulette and it was only a matter of time before he took one out. I don’t know if he ever changed his MO, but he never did.
Meanwhile, he used his U-lock to bash a lot of cars (mainly taxi’s) tail lights when they intentionally cut him off. And one guy in a huge “luxury” Land Rover lost his driver side mirror to his U-lock when he cut him off. The bike messengers don’t mess around.
But he grew up. He’s very responsible now. Even more so than I was when I was 32.
That probably got the old adrenalin going!
Same situation where I live. There’s a weekly informal road race from Cheshire down into Hamden and back. I encountered them one time coming at me on a narrow winding road. They were in a pack taking up the entire opposite lane and some of mine. I slowed a bit, but apparently they wanted me to stop and pull over or something. Shrieks of profanity ensued.
Riding a bike is great, either for pleasure or transportation. However, once a person sets themself to covering a certain distance in a certain time on a bike, they almost universally turn into rabid A—holes.
—... 35 mph on a bicycle???—
I’ve gotten mine up to 58. I was able to do a sprint up to 32 MPH on a completely flat part of Strander blvd by Southcenter once. I could only keep it up for a few hundred yards, though.
I’ve had it to 45 on Second avenue in downtown Seattle. That is the main southbound bike thoroughfare there.
I’m an avid urban bike rider and I seriously appreciate that story. Bike riders are like car drivers. There are all kinds. Some righteously ask for what that guy got.
—Whats more is that the self absorbed A-hole wrote a post on a peninsula biking forum lamenting the loss of his helmet. The DA has that info as well. Goes to state of mind, ie: no remorse.—
Yikes! That one is gonna leave a mark.
—They think they are saving the planet and that gives them special immunity from the law.—
I think there is some truth to that. I used to belong to the Cascade Bicycle club in Seattle and went on a lot of group rides. A bunch of true liberals they were. Around 1993 I had “Dittohead” professionally lettered on my helmet. It was a real conversation starter.
If you get my drift. ;-)
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