Deputy kills 2, 1 in critical cond.

[tctrek]

MY heart goes out to the cyclists, the families, and the cop who hit them (unless he KNOWINGLY hit them, which I didn't see any evidence of)

He didn't KNOWINGLY hit them because he was asleep and he didn't know anything. But he did KNOWINGLY drive while he was overwhelmingly sleepy. Most people at sometime in their life work long hours, or are on a long road trip and find themselves getting sleepy at the wheel. A reasonable person recognizes that and pulls over and rests. But he kept on driving even though he was sleepy!! IMHO, that's as KNOWINGLY as it gets.

I just don't think this is the same as talking on a cell phone or eating a cheeseburger. Sure, in the blink of an eye you can look away and have an ACCIDENT. You don't have time to react and boom, it's over.

But it takes minutes to fall asleep - you have warning signals that sleep is about to take you over. You roll down your window, turn up the radio, drink coffee, try to prevent yourself from going to sleep. But there comes a time, maybe a minute or two before you actually fall asleep that you KNOW that it is inevitable, that you can't fight it anymore. That's when you pull over. You just don't keep driving when you reach that point.

[snapdragen]

But it takes minutes to fall asleep - you have warning signals that sleep is about to take you over.

Not really, and not for all people. I've known people that can fall asleep in seconds, one friend in particular can drop off without warning. Yes, it's happened while we were in the car, I realized what had happened, woke him up and had him pull over so I could drive.

[tctrek]

Not really, and not for all people. I've known people that can fall asleep in seconds, one friend in particular can drop off without warning. Yes, it's happened while we were in the car, I realized what had happened, woke him up and had him pull over so I could drive.

That brings up an interesting point... should someone who knows they can fall asleep in seconds without warning take extra special care not to drive when they are tired? It's like, if you have bad vision you know not to drive without your glasses. Why tempt fate and make a careless decision to drive when you haven't had enough rest?

[Eden]

If they are narcoleptic (meaning they can fall asleep at any time without warning) I think it falls under the category of epilepsy and they probably should not be driving at all.....

[Trek420]

Most people at sometime in their life work long hours, or are on a long road trip and find themselves getting sleepy at the wheel. A reasonable person recognizes that and pulls over and rests. But he kept on driving even though he was sleepy!! IMHO, that's as KNOWINGLY as it gets.

I have a compression fractured spine because of this kinda thing. Long road trip, driver recovering from a cold, taking cold medicine and declining to stop or let the two adult drivers spell him. He drifted off the road, lost control, we flipped over .... for those of you in CA, OR, WA we ended up backwards though right side up on Highway 5.

Was it his fault or mine for not insisting he pull over & sleep or relinquish the wheel? I don't know. Was it his fault or mine because I had my seatbelt off to be more comfortable sleeping That's my bad.

You can bet the seat belt goes on before the car keys go in now.

The driver was my brother.

I've so looooong ago forgiven him. Instead I feel lucky to be alive, every day is gravy. And in a way the crash is responsible for my cycling because when the Dr. said "you'll have arthritis in your spine soon" I said "oh no I won't" and began working out.

As people work longer hours these days, drive tougher commutes in this economy to reach any job available, and yes ... read TE long into the night there are a lot more tired drivers out there. Driving tired can be as bad as drunk driving from what I've read.

Whatever happens in the court or court of public opinion I hope the officer remembers for the rest of his life he's "Living for 3", himself and the 2 riders lost. This was a great loss for their family and friends and the world. For example I could not help thinking while watching the Olympic women's road cycling that she was supposed to be there. and I'm sure her family thought the same.

[kenyonchris]

[QUOTE=tctrek;434781]He didn't KNOWINGLY hit them because he was asleep and he didn't know anything. But he did KNOWINGLY drive while he was overwhelmingly sleepy. Most people at sometime in their life work long hours, or are on a long road trip and find themselves getting sleepy at the wheel. A reasonable person recognizes that and pulls over and rests. But he kept on driving even though he was sleepy!! IMHO, that's as KNOWINGLY as it gets.[quote]

No, it isn't, in the color of the law. Perhaps reckless, but not knowing, if that is honestly the cause of the accident.

I have never fallen asleep at the wheel, knock on wood. But I certainly have been really tired, I work 12 hour shifts, half the year it is 7p-7a. I stop and get a coke or whatever, but I am still out there. God help me if I were caught sleeping, and if I did sleep I might sleep through someone needing my help.
NO ONE IS PERFECT IN STAYING ON 100 PERCENT OF THE TIME!!! If you haven't had a close call, ya'll are better than I am. Usually we wipe our brows, say a prayer, and move on. In this case it was tragic. He should be held accountable for it, but it is far be it from us to sit here and say he is as guilty as someone who aimed for them and ran them down. It doesn't make them less dead, for sure, but it was an accident.
My exasperated sigh is only because I am hearing the person who never talks on the cell phone, the person who is always attentive, the person who says to herself, "say, I am sleepy! I better pull over and get a few winks", and I am telling you that WE (I have not had an accident in over 20 years, knock on wood) are just as likely to be in an accident where we are at fault for driver inattention as that officer was. Hopefully it won't have such a tragic outcome. So I who lives in the glass house shall not throw stones.