Outrage in Vail!

[CycloChemist]

The bare bones of this hit-and-run incident in Vail are that a
motorist fled the scene after striking a cyclist from behind, was
later arrested but only charged with misdemeanor counts (2) and not
the felony misdemeanor charge that seems appropriate. The prosecutors
involved in the case argue that a felony charge would cause the
motorist to loose his job and, therefore, not allow him to make
retribution, which he is willing to do.

The bicyclist/victim wants justice, not money! and to that end, I'm
confident all cyclists in Colorado, heck! all cyclists EVERYWHERE
want to see the book thrown at the motorist. Read the details on the
links provided below:

http://www.vaildaily.com/article/20101104/NEWS/101109939/1078&ParentProfile=1062

http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/08/cyclists-condemn-prosecutors-decision/#more-79101

The first link is the original Vail Daily article, the second a report
on the story with some commentary in the NY Times.

When you read the articles you'll see that there are some other
aspects of the case that may enrage you further. The motorist is a
well-to-do financial advisor from Denver. The victim was seriously
injured (cranial bleeding, broken spinal disc, facing multiple
surgeries and may not be able to practice his profession as a liver
transplant surgeon. The lawyers involved have been involved with
another high-profile celebrity case in Eagle County. One might expect
some real fancy legal wrestling that this case will engender. For
instance, the motorist is claiming undiagnosed sleep apnea as a cause
for his behavior; that he didn't even know he swerved and hit the
cyclist. I can understand that, can't you? I mean, those Mercedes
Benz coups are built so that drivers can't hear or feel little road
bumps, like a cyclist!! Really, you have to read the articles!

When I hear back from the state advocacy group, Bicycle Colorado, I'll
"reply" to this msg. Meanwhile, read the articles, get mad, and
together we'll figure out an effective way to voice our displeasure
about this apparent injustice in Vail.