5 dead, 4 injured after truck plows into bicyclists in Michigan

[zoom-zoom]

'with intent' has to make coping with this even harder. sad....

The thing that should scare all of us is the knowledge that there are some who see no issue with what he did...apparently without intoxicants.

[rebeccaC]

I prefer to focus on those grieving but I do hope it’s the life sentence that's possible with those charges and that then has some influence on others like Pickett.....i'm going to follow this as i want to see how it plays out....thanks for the wwmt link!

[AngelontheRoad]

This is so unfortunate - on both sides as no one's lives will be the same. I try to steer clear of the roads and ride rails to trails most of the time - and with a group we are very cautious crossing roadways with "look them in the eye" mandate for all. We are lucky - plus we all check each other for helmets before heading out - once or twice someone forgot to put on or buckle the strap. Safe travels for those of us who try to keep fit and exercise with cycling.....

[Eden]

Angel - this was not an accident, it was a willful act of malice. It was murder. No amount of caution on the part of the cyclists could have prevented it because it was done intentionally. I am very glad the prosecutor is treating it as such. It's no different than if he'd walked out onto the street and shot 9 people.

[north woods gal]

As Eden syas, it was intentional, but if he had walked out on the street and shot people with a gun, it would have made headline news in every news outlet instead of just being page two material. That, and having lived in the Chicago area, I know full well how some drivers hate bicyclists. It's a very tiny minority of motorists, of course, but they are out there and we need to be aware of it.

[OakLeaf]

Meantime, in my town, a first-offense drunk driver who blew a stop sign and seriously injured two people (including her passenger) was just sentenced to four years. Everyone in that case was in a motor vehicle.

Bet this guy doesn't get half that.

[zoom-zoom]

Meantime, in my town, a first-offense drunk driver who blew a stop sign and seriously injured two people (including her passenger) was just sentenced to four years. Everyone in that case was in a motor vehicle.

Bet this guy doesn't get half that.

I think this guy is going to be hit relatively hard, actually. 5 counts of 2nd degree MURDER...not the more expected/typical negligent vehicular homicide charges. On top of that the 4 additional reckless driving counts.

I just hope this process moves along with more speed than the conviction of the guy who killed an ODRAM rider, last Aug. (hit and run with a super sleazy defense attorney). That has still not been resolved. And in that case I suspect the driver will be let off lightly, unfortunately. I can't even begin to imagine how difficult it will be selecting a jury in this high profile case, though. I don't personally know anyone who would not be struck.

[emily_in_nc]

As Eden syas, it was intentional, but if he had walked out on the street and shot people with a gun, it would have made headline news in every news outlet instead of just being page two material. That, and having lived in the Chicago area, I know full well how some drivers hate bicyclists. It's a very tiny minority of motorists, of course, but they are out there and we need to be aware of it.

I disagree that this was "page two material". It made the nightly national news (not just local). I was very heartened to see how much coverage it got amidst all the political and other "important" national news. I heard about it on the news for three days running, which is pretty good for any story that doesn't involve a celebrity or politician!

[Helene2013]

It made the news in Montréal too and opened a big discussion in French as well.

[north woods gal]

Well, there you go. I don't watch the news like I probably should and seldom watch TV. Didn't mean to downplay the incident, of course. Apologize if it came off that way.

[zoom-zoom]

Bicycling's report.

[emily_in_nc]

Bicycling's report.

Thanks for sharing, zoom-zoom. So glad that this horrific tragedy is being taken as seriously as it should be.