Mother who lost a son because of jaywalking gets jail time

[Nate Dogg]

Crazy.

When the Cobb County Transit bus finally stopped directly across from Somerpoint Apartments, night had fallen. She and the children crossed two lanes and waited with other passengers on the raised median for a break in traffic. The nearest crosswalks were three-tenths of a mile in either direction, and Nelson wanted to get her children inside as soon as possible. A.J. carried a plastic bag holding a goldfish they'd purchased.
"One girl ran across the street," Nelson said. "For some odd reason, I guess he saw the girl and decided to run out behind her. I said, 'Stop, A.J.,' and he was in the middle of the street so I said keep going. That's when we all got hit."

Story: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/mother-whose-son-killed-hit-run-faces-two-201219312.html

For one, why are the crosswalks so far apart? Is it an area with undeveloped streets or residences?

Most of these days, pedestrians are still lazy and can't walk to the next crosswalk or intersection.

This incident reminds me of people being hit at the NE 82nd bus stop and MAX station. Report. http://blog.oregonlive.com/commuting/2010/02/new_peoples_department_of_tran.html

For the problem at 82nd I am glad the wall is up, and before that I always honked at people all the time running across the road against the light.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

crosswalks are there for a reason. lazy.

 

[jlprk]

One reason taxes are high is that the U.S. has the highest incarceration rate in the world. In our prison nation, the sentences are outlandish. In Cobb County, jaywalking gets you up to 2 years in prison.

Imagine the personality traits it must take to be a prosecutor. Monsters.

 

[Paxil]

Crazy.


Story: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/mother-whose-son-killed-hit-run-faces-two-201219312.html

For one, why are the crosswalks so far apart? Is it an area with undeveloped streets or residences?

Most of these days, pedestrians are still lazy and can't walk to the next crosswalk or intersection.

This incident reminds me of people being hit at the NE 82nd bus stop and MAX station. Report. http://blog.oregonlive.com/commuting/2010/02/new_peoples_department_of_tran.html

For the problem at 82nd I am glad the wall is up, and before that I always honked at people all the time running across the road against the light.

I see people cross 50 feet from a crosswalk though heavy traffic. That sort of laziness I can't understand... and I have seen mothers run across with their kids plenty of times. I seriously have no idea what they are thinking.

 

[agoo]

The Huffington Post's Radley Balko points out that Nelson may serve six times as many months in prison as the man who ran over her family and drove off.

That man, Jerry Guy, admitted he had been drinking and taking prescribed painkillers the night of the accident, and had been convicted in two earlier hit-and-runs. He served six months in jail for the crime.

That's the part of the story that got me. She was being irresponsible with her kids, but watching your son get run over and die about covers it in terms of punishment for me. Going to jail longer than the drunk who ran over your kid while drunk driving for at least the third time that we're aware of is overkill.

 

[Paxil]

Yeah, there isn't any need for jail... you have to expect the issue will never be repeated.

 

[BrianFromWA]

One reason taxes are high is that the U.S. has the highest incarceration rate in the world. In our prison nation, the sentences are outlandish. In Cobb County, jaywalking gets you up to 2 years in prison.

Imagine the personality traits it must take to be a prosecutor. Monsters.

Agree. If you just started cutting off limbs for theft, and killing people for rape or murder or armed robbery, then there'd be a few less people in prison.