At last, a cyclist may get sued after killing someone!

johnfarquhar74

Thought that might get your attention, apologies if already posted but taken from the BBC News site,
Killer Cyclist
Only in America!
I'd like to think we here in the UK, cyclist hater or not, would administer a little bit more common sense!







Would like to add I post this with tongue firmly in cheek!

ifonlyitwaseasier

yes and that cyclist is a 5yr old girl.......

really gonna get a lot of cash from her piggy bnak!!

johnfarquhar74

ifonlyitwaseasier wrote: »

yes and that cyclist is a 5yr old girl.......

really gonna get a lot of cash from her piggy bnak!!

Aah, but it's the good ol' US of A, the claimant will now pursue the parents!
It's beyond me how they can hold a 4 year old responsible for killing an OAP on a sidewalk(pavement) but then who am I to argue with the laws of foreign lands!

victor2

The judge disagreed, ruling Juliet's lawyer had presented no evidence she lacked intelligence or maturity.

She was 4 at the time. Obviously very intelligent and mature - more so than the judge at least!

missile

It was reported that they were accompanied by their mothers who gave their consent to a cycle race on the pavement.

If their mothers had been more careful an old lady would not have been knocked over and killed. It may be farcical to sue a four year old, but I do believe parents should be held accountable.

johnfarquhar74

missile wrote: »

It may be farcical to sue a four year old, but I do believe parents should be held accountable.

Spot on, parents should be accountable and in control of their children until such times as the children can be held accountable for their own actions.
However, this story just highlights the compensation/lawsuit hungry appetite that the US (and more increasingly the UK) has. 2 toddlers cycle on a path, 1 hits an 87 year old person that falls over and receives an injury that requires an operation. 3 months later the injured party dies(related or not?). No doubt this lawsuit will run into 10's of $1000's if not more, who pays, and for what?
I don't doubt the families involved are sorry and remorseful for their actions but what lessons will a 4yo(now 6) learn by maybe bankrupting their parents?

missile

johnfarquhar74 wrote: »

I don't doubt the families involved are sorry and remorseful for their actions but what lessons will a 4yo(now 6) learn by maybe bankrupting their parents?

Assuming the reports are accurate - and that is rarely so
1. Kids were racing on the pavement with their mothers consent
2. There is no mention of any remorse.

I was knocked off my bike the woman responsible did not admit liability or express any remorse. Claimed she could not remember what happened:rotfl:. I had no option but to go to court.

My own son was not much older when he broke a window and I had to pay for the damage.

I would suggest our opinions are influenced by our own experience and situation.
If it were my kids I would say this was an unforseeable accident.
If it was my mother, I would want justice.

sassy_one

Even if the case proceeds, a £1 a week for the next 10 years doesn't really offer any help does it, specially now there dead

missile

sassy-one wrote: »

Even if the case proceeds, a £1 a week for the next 10 years doesn't really offer any help does it, specially now there dead

Living in Manhattan, they can afford more than £1 a week :rotfl:
and no doubt they have insurance to cover their liability

In any event, if it was my mum, seeing the parents held accountable would be enough. No amount of money would be enough:A.

Tinks74

missile wrote: »

In any event, if it was my mum, seeing the parents held accountable would be enough. No amount of money would be enough:A.

Exactly.

There is no financial recompense that would help, the children of the lady who was killed will not get their mother back, therefore it becomes a pointless exercise in greed.

There was no mention of remorse whether felt or not, I don't imagine for one second that either the parents or the child would do anything similar in the future. A lesson learned the hard way.

I am constantly infuriated by an increasingly litigious world. :mad:

missile wrote: »

If it was my mother, I would want justice.

How can you measure justice in an incident like this? I would be distraught, but I don't believe that anything could be done that would help me, certainly pursuing a 4 year old (or parents) throught the legal system would do no good. Claims like this belittle genuine cases of negligence.

Sometimes an accident is just an accident.

Tippytoes

How I wish the law was enforced here in the UK. I'm sick of having to dodge cyclists who think they own the pavements - I'm lucky to be agile enough to do it - the elderly aren't. It's an offence, but of course, Plod turns a blind eye. Must mean too much paperwork for a £30.00 fine.