Posted on 10/20/2015 8:02:56 AM PDT by Prolixus
[Star-Telegram must be excerpted.]
GRANBURY
A 68-year-old driver involved in a weekend motorcycle wreck that left a woman in critical condition was arrested Monday night, Hood County Sheriff Roger Deeds said.
William Crum faces two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, which is a second-degree felony, for his involvement in the motorcycle wreck, Rob Christian, Hood County district attorney, told the Star-Telegram on Monday night.
Crum’s bail was set Tuesday morning at $75,000 for each charge, Deeds said...
(Excerpt) Read more at star-telegram.com ...
Just saw the video. I ride.
The man was a jerk but this is why you have to be very careful of other cars. And don’t so blatantly break the law. Every time I pass I am expecting the car to do that. But I watch a lot of Russian crash videos. They are very instructive.
I.e. that car would not have taken me out. I speak from experience.
The defendant is also at fault for crossing the double yellow.
So both drivers are equally wrong of a very low level traffic violation. BFD. The perp however not only endangered the lives of the cyclists, but could have caused more accidents from cars hitting/trying to avoid the downed cycle or riders.
“THEY” broke the law? A passenger on a motorcycle is absolutely defenseless. And I hope the HA’s find and put a beard of bees on his balls.
Ping the list
Agree on qll points, I have seen this kind of driving and worse (shoulder passing etc)
When driving in Texas I think NASCAR
I an glad to see that this thread has not yet devolved to the “all bikers deserve it” level. (Now if it would have been a bicyclist, there probably would already be some haters LOL!)
For those of us who ride motorcycles (and bicycles for that matter) these road rage incidents are serious concerns. In this case, the biker knew what he was doing was illegal. But, it is possible to make a driver made completely by accident or without even knowing it. It’s a problem that the criminal justice system is appropriately dealing with.
Oldplayer
“Passing on a double yellow doesn’t absolve the driver for attempted murder.”
Or as the old saying goes, two wrongs do not make it right.
While it certainly seems to me that this guy swerved on purpose I do think a good defense attorney could raise a reasonable doubt that the action was intentional. Keep in mind that a Jury isn’t supposed to have seen these videos or read news about the incident. I imagine that will make it much easier for the defense to sell a “startled by insect” story.
A big stretch, but ....
Maybe the exhaust note, 4 cyl, at high rpm, did sound like a bee or wasp.
Driver was then surprised by quick flash out of his periphery, and swerved, interpreting the event as a bee.
Not that I believe that, but I have been trained by hellary’s spin methods.
No, they aren’t. Yes, they were passing in a no passing zone, but they didn’t not swerve into the car … he swerved into them. His fault.
The double yellow is there to try to protect vehicles from being hit by vehicles coming the opposite direction. The car has no more right to cross over the double line than the motorcycle. One committed a traffic violation the other a possible felony.
Just wow.
Having just returned home after a three generation motorcycle trip multiple states chilling to see the blatant anti “biker” sentiment
I barely missed a child on a bicycle once 40 years ago ..He was at fault heading straight at me pumping, head down, after turning a corner into the wrong side. I still get a rapid heart beat thinking of that precious moment when I swerved away and he looked up.
It would not have mattered whose fault it was..I would have grieved forever over hitting that neighborhood child.
If I had hit that motorcycle in the article by accident I would also grieve.
Completely agree, I hated driving on that road as there is a lot of construction and railroad related traffic
“On the other hand, both sets of bikers were law breakers.”
Entirely irrelevant. Passing on a solid yellow is a relatively minor offence, with an administrative penalty (i.e. points, fines, etc). Deliberately swerving into a passing motorcycle is essentially attempted murder. I’m not saying the motorcyclists were in the right, but whatever they were doing didn’t justify that move.
He did swerve back off onto the right shoulder. That suggests lack of control of the vehicle. Certainly the collision would not have happened but for the illegal acts of the bikers.
His lawyer's got his work cut out for him.
Probably, but possibly not:
Section 545.055 (b) An operator may not drive on the left side of the roadway in a no-passing zone or on the left side of any pavement striping designed to mark a no-passing zone. This subsection does not prohibit a driver from crossing pavement striping, or the center line in a no-passing zone marked by signs only, to make a left turn into or out of an alley or private road or driveway.
He probably should have lawyered up before he came out with the bug or spider story.
But I never see any fender stickers on motorcycles that say, "Look Out For Cars." Why is that? Because they think they own the road? Or that they think it's the car driver who's responsible for the motorcyclist's safety and not themselves? Or is it because they don't realize the risks they take when breaking the traffic laws?
Just askin'....
Besides the car driver being arrested, I see the motorcycle driver was cited for illegally passing on a double yellow line and driving with an invalid driver's license. Looks like there was plenty of irresponsible behavior to go around in this incident.
Just sayin'....
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