David Combs update Petty offense

David Combs is out of ICU — on 7th floor — still restricted visitors.  Hopefully after some more reconstructive stuff (skin grafts & the like) and the recovery there from visitors will be welcomed… cards of course already and even if you don’t get the room right, it’ll find him…

So, it seems Errol Maul’s lawyer advised him to say he looked at the map *after* the accident.   You know, you wouldn’t want to be charged for the death you caused.   http://www.news-gazette.com/news/courts-police-and-fire/2011-04-18/driver-enters-plea-fatal-bicycle-collision.html

Gary Cziko notes in the comments taht the new law says if you kill somebody, it doesn’t matter what the charge was; your license should be revoked. Sounds like a good law to me, and it sounds like somebody ought to try to enforce it.   The whole “proving recklessness” part isn’t what the law says.   It doesn’t say that you have to want somebody dead.   It simply says that if your driving was bad enough to get a conviction of a charge (like, going too fast to keep from hitting something, because that law is there because going too fast to keep from hitting something could cause injury or death.  You see, the idea is that even if you *didn’t* kill somebody, you can be charged with “failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident,” because that is such dangerous behavior!   If you *did* kill somebody, you know, make them dead so she never says “I love you” to her husband again, then you have rather proven irrevocably that you could not handle the responsibility of navigating your vehicle on our public roads.

As the law states, you can plead hardship to keep your license.   If you really need it, you *should* have to ask for it.  Accepting that gosh golly shucks, sometimes you just forget what you’re doing, sorry you’re dead!  SUCKS.

Our State’s Attorney’s address:Julia RietzStates Attorney101 E MainUrbana, IL 61801

statesatty@co.champaign.il.us

http://www.co.champaign.il.us/statt/contacts.htm

Main (217) 384-3733
Adult Diversion (217) 384-3802
Civil Division (217) 384-3832
Domestic Violence Division (217) 384-3750
Misdemeanor Division (217) 384-3813
Support Enforcement Div. (217) 384-3849
Traffic Division (217) 384-3815
Victim/Witness Services (217) 384-8625

I am hoping that civil suit wise Errol’s insurance will be paying for David’s expenses — but beyond that, the acceptance of death by car as “just fine” is just plain wrong.   The lady who was playing a facebook game when her toddler drowned int eh bathtub is doing *time* — the judge said he didn’t think she was a bad person, but she had broken the law.   It *is* against the law to kill somebody with your car (see Gary Cziko’s comment afterthe article).