The Chainlink

Gothamist: $250 Fine For SUV Driver Who Deliberately Plowed Into Cyclist During Road Rage Incident.

http://google.com/newsstand/s/CBIwh-e02Ro

Makes me sick reading the details.

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Gee...sounds like attempted murder maybe?

Yep. A $250 fine is a joke in this context.
 
Matt M. 18.5KM said:

Gee...sounds like attempted murder maybe?

I guess having been fortunate enough to not be a victim of a crime I don't hanker for a pound of flesh. I agree that the fine is silly compared to the evil of the act. I have problems with what appear to be decisions from above on whether to prosecute. Knowing that the cyclist succeeded in a civil claim, and hopefully has been made  whole by that claim, gives me greater satisfaction. I would be more troubled if the miscreant in the SUV was in jail but the poor cyclist was having a hard time paying his medical bills and could not afford to replace his bike. 

Good point. Getting a settlement and being able to move on financially is worth a lot.

However, it's still frustrating when the justice system fails to take crimes committed against cyclists seriously.
 
David Barish said:

I guess having been fortunate enough to not be a victim of a crime I don't hanker for a pound of flesh. I agree that the fine is silly compared to the evil of the act. I have problems with what appear to be decisions from above on whether to prosecute. Knowing that the cyclist succeeded in a civil claim, and hopefully has been made  whole by that claim, gives me greater satisfaction. I would be more troubled if the miscreant in the SUV was in jail but the poor cyclist was having a hard time paying his medical bills and could not afford to replace his bike. 

Justice was not "fully" served in this situation. Road rage from the rear is a real and scary situation for a cyclist.

I completely understand. What I am really trying to say is I care way more  about the cyclist than the driver in this case. If a choice has to be  made, and I don't really want to make one, I am more concerned with the cyclist being taken care of than punishing the driver. Still, I agree that this driver deserves to be punished and much more than $250 worth of punishment. Having given this some thought since  my original post I now see that there  is value to the community in punishing the driver to hopefully discourage the next person from making the same choice.

Tom A.K. said:

Justice was not "fully" served in this situation. Road rage from the rear is a real and scary situation for a cyclist.

If I lived in Manhattan, I'd be after the prosecutor who cut the deal and the judge who allowed it.

At least the driver wears his douchebag uniform proudly.

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