Bus Driver Changes Plea
- Thread starter Statsman515
- Start date
It may not seem like much from the victims point of view and that is probably right but we should look at it from his point of view too. From reports he didn't really know he hit her right away. He should have come forward when he realized it but I can hardly blame him for being scarred. He isn't a bad person just someone who made an awful mistake.
The stories in January says that he knew he hit something; he checked the damn bus at the next stop. And he figured out within hours he'd hit the girl.
As to whether she could have been saved, we do not know that. It certainly wouldn't have hurt her chances if 911 had been called.
He knew he hit something, he may or may not have known that something was a person.
After riding for a week with a buddy who was hit on his bicycle and left for dead by a hit and run driver and had to be revived on LifeFlight I have a hard time having much sympathy for the driver.
It's easy to say that when you've never been in the position. Anyone thinking they wouldn't be terrified knowing fully well they just ruined their life as they know it is full of ****.
The incident itself, while tragic, does not merit more than a traffic ticket. The prosecution would need to prove that he knew he hit her and fled to get a conviction. That's really tough to do without witnesses on the bus.
I have no doubt they were/are terrified. That still doesn't make me feel a lot of sympathy. On the other hand I feel bad for drivers who hit cyclists who flaunt the law and run stop lights. It is an earth shattering experience for them that is clearly no fault of their own.
I think the original statement by the police said, after viewing the video footage from ALL the cameras on the bus, was that there was no one in the intersection when he drove through the flashing yellow light. How do you hit someone who isnt there then?
Unless she walked into the intersection while he was traveling through it, like they used to do in downtown Des Moines to DART buses some years back...
Unless she walked into the intersection while he was traveling through it, like they used to do in downtown Des Moines to DART buses some years back...
He claims (and the prosecution has no evidence to show otherwise) that he did not know he had struck a pedestrian until much later on his next lap through that area when he noticed emergency response vehicles at that intersection. So this post doesn't really reflect reality.
And if he truly didn't know or think he hit someone, I'm not sure I'd then think I did hit someone just by seeing the vehicles. It's a very busy intersection around campus, anything could have happened during your lap.
I think his failure came once he heard the reports of what happened and them not knowing who may have hit her thus connecting the dots, he should have reported hearing something.
I can totally see not knowing he hit a person.
I have a real life example, although it wasn't a person it still applies.
About 9 years ago I bought a racecar hauler (32' toterhome with a 34' enclosed trailer behind it) and parked it in my very tight fitting driveway at my Des Moines house (It should be noted that the driveway was essentially 2 driveways wide with one entry point from the street, so my neighbors and my driveway were connected/shared). When leaving to go to the races I always turned left out of the driveway to give me plenty of turning room. However, one day I was running late and a car was parked in the street blocking me from turning left out of the driveway, I didn't have time to go door to door to ask them to move so I decided to turn right out of the driveway. Well my neighbor had his truck parked on his side of the driveway, as I made my turn right into the road the back of the trailer swung enough that it side swiped his truck. I had no idea this happened and went to the races. The next morning he knocked on the door asking me to come look at his truck and told me I did that the night before when leaving for the races. Yeah I pretty much ruined the entire drivers side of his truck and had no idea I did it.
I have a real life example, although it wasn't a person it still applies.
About 9 years ago I bought a racecar hauler (32' toterhome with a 34' enclosed trailer behind it) and parked it in my very tight fitting driveway at my Des Moines house (It should be noted that the driveway was essentially 2 driveways wide with one entry point from the street, so my neighbors and my driveway were connected/shared). When leaving to go to the races I always turned left out of the driveway to give me plenty of turning room. However, one day I was running late and a car was parked in the street blocking me from turning left out of the driveway, I didn't have time to go door to door to ask them to move so I decided to turn right out of the driveway. Well my neighbor had his truck parked on his side of the driveway, as I made my turn right into the road the back of the trailer swung enough that it side swiped his truck. I had no idea this happened and went to the races. The next morning he knocked on the door asking me to come look at his truck and told me I did that the night before when leaving for the races. Yeah I pretty much ruined the entire drivers side of his truck and had no idea I did it.
How do you know that he knew he even hit a person. If anyone has been on those buses, they are massive and loud. There is a possibility that he thought maybe he hit something so he decided to pull overy and see if he had any damage. I'm sorry but the girl that was hit was not big so it's very likely that there was no damage at all. Yes we all know what took place was a very tragic accident but not one of us were there. There is a very strong possibility that he had no clue that anything happened.
He may not have. He did realize it eventually, as he was reportedly texting his buddies saying something to that effect.
I'd like to think I'd have come forward at some time. But I've (thankfully) never been in that type of situation.
Sad deal regardless, and nothing that comes of this really helps anybody.
Accidents happen. But what isn't an accident is leaving the scene and not coming forward. That alone is worth more than 30 days in jail and a $100 fine.
