Failing to stop USA style

[XP@]

This is just stupid, potential of 60 years because a cop following lost a tyre at 150mph...

Ok, so the guy was speeding and ran from the law but there is no way he should be done for killing the cop...

http://www.news-journalonline.com/Ne...AD03101905.htm

[zadok]

Must agree, sets a dangerous precedent. Plenty of charges there, but not vehicular homicide I would have thought.

[Darlios]

Thats bloody stupid. Why is the motorcyclist responsible? The trooper shoulda just stopped chasing him if he wasn't going to catch him anyway!

[HenryDorsetCase]

I dont think its unreasonable: I dont obviously know the statutory background, but if the death or injury was reasonably foreseeable (i.e. is it foreseeable that if someone speeds, an officer will pursue? answer yes. If that pursuit involves high speed and the possibility of accident, is it foreseeable that someone might be injured or killed? answer yes. QED he goes down.

I believe the same would apply in NZ, though I doubt he would get the 60 year penalty.

The other issue would be contributory negligence on the part of the highway patrol maintenance people, tyre manufacturer, whoever made the highway, the trooper himself etc for the INEVITABLE civil suit that will follow.

God bless america.

[XP@]

I dont think its unreasonable: I dont obviously know the statutory background, but if the death or injury was reasonably foreseeable (i.e. is it foreseeable that if someone speeds, an officer will pursue? answer yes. If that pursuit involves high speed and the possibility of accident, is it foreseeable that someone might be injured or killed? answer yes. QED he goes down.

I believe the same would apply in NZ, though I doubt he would get the 60 year penalty.

The other issue would be contributory negligence on the part of the highway patrol maintenance people, tyre manufacturer, whoever made the highway, the trooper himself etc for the INEVITABLE civil suit that will follow.

God bless america.

If I was doing 160kph and I passed a cop, I would expect said cop to radio ahead and get his mates to set up a rolling block or position a car to get up to speed or crack out the chopper, it is their job to stop lives from being endangeroured not to do the damage.

[Karma]

Copper should have weighed up the options-

1. Persue - Never catch the bike anyways, drive way beyond his control, endanger other road users

2. Let him go - setup a road block further up (was a 7 mile chase), don't endanger road users, get the chopper out.

I would've gone for 2 personally.

[bugjuice]

imho, I think that's a load of crap too. It's a shame the cop died, but the biker can't be held accountable for that. If it's unsafe to pursue, they call it off. No way is a crusier gonna catch up to a bike in heavy traffic, he should have just called air support and got them to follow the biker. It's no ones fault the tyre blew out. Could have been driving normally and it could have blown.. Do him for running, speeding, and the bike etc by all means, but not the death of a cop like that. It's no ones fault, just really bad luck

[gamgee]

dumb bitch he might have been being payed to be doing his job, but i'll bet he wasn't following his training, any cops want to elaborate on what standard proceedure would be if a bike was lane splitting at 130mph and clearly only showboating for the cop in pursuit? i'm guessing it would be as the others said, drop off and set up a road block further on

[Postie]

he must have a really shit lawyer if he can't get off for that. i don't understand the states, plenty of people literally get away with intentionaln murder thanks to bent laywers and loop holes, yet some guy riding his bike gets chased and a cop dies and he killed him? so how does that work?

[bugjuice]

or people fall from the sky and land in your windscreen, but it's ok if you're old and haven't seen them in there for the last 10 minutes.. It's not your fault, and you shouldn't be punished..

[Smorg]

God Bless America and its Justice System! What a load of shit i agree with buggy.
Get him on all the other charges but killing a cop? Fuck that, my pet rat could have got me off that charge

[Sniper]

I can see where they are coming from but its bloody unfair. The pattern of thinking here indicates that because he got sentanced because the cop died, he should be able to sue the cops family because it "allegably" was the cop that prompted himto speed.

[bugjuice]

if you look at it from the cops' family's point of view, I can see their frustration at wanting some form of justice to their loved ones untimely death. But sometimes you just have to see that there's no justice or understanding in a freak accident.

[Colapop]

The attached link clearly states that in high speed pursuits there not rules only guidelines when it comes to whether or not to continue the pursuit. If the officer considers that the offender is a risk to the public he has the right to continue pursuit unless given a direct order by a superior officer to abandon the pursuit.
The main problem in this case is the Rambo Road Warrior Police Officer. (I'm sorry he died) BUT he did not have to continue the pursuit. The motorcyclist was not on suburban streets, he was on a highway. In the testimony there was at least one "Semi trailer" swerving around on the road. Has anyone seen a motorcyle v truck come out in the bikers favour? Yes the biker is an idiot but killing the policeman?? Hmmm I don't think so.
http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/fcjei/sl...smith,%20d.pdf

[Matt Bleck]

It's against the law to speed! If your caught speeding you will be chased!

If man dies as a result off that, then its your fault!! ie. if you weren't speeding and doing a runner then it wouldn't have happened....

Now there's whole lot of if, buts and maybe's, but at the end of the day it's a public road and it's against the law to speed!!

Good job, lock him up and throw away the key!!