this post was submitted on 20 Dec 2023
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Truck driver receives fine and one-year ban after killing Vancouver cyclist - Canadian Cycling Magazine (cyclingmagazine.ca)
submitted 10 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
14 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

The prosecution pushed for a $1,000 fine and a complete driving ban, while the defense argued for a higher fine ranging from $1,500 to $1,800 without any prohibitions. Along with the $1,150 fine the judge restricted his driving to work duties and picking up his kids.

Just imagine if your kid was killed by a truck driver, and the courts were battling over a few extra hundred dollars for the fine. No jail, and a very loose "ban" on driving for the person who killed your kid.

I just don't know why a cyclist (or pedestrian's) life means nothing in the eyes of the law.

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[–] [email protected] 56 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Beltran was a UBC PhD student engaged in a project emphasizing the benefits of bike lanes.

How about that

[–] [email protected] 18 points 10 months ago (1 children)

This was an attempt by Big Car to silence his work

[–] [email protected] 18 points 10 months ago

Big Car

They're called trucks.

[–] [email protected] 26 points 10 months ago (1 children)

It costs $1000 to legally kill someone.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

And a year of semi-revoked driving privileges. I wonder how many times you could get away with it before they actually put a real penalty in place...

[–] [email protected] 11 points 10 months ago (1 children)

The article doesn't say what happened. Without more information, the outcome could be fair. Arbitrarily putting people in prison for an accident isn't going to solve anything.

[–] [email protected] 59 points 10 months ago (3 children)

The context makes it worse, unfortunately.

The collision happened at the intersection of Pacific and Hornby streets. The court heard the intersection was well marked and McIntyre turned right from the centre lane instead of the designated right turning lane. (reported by CTV News)

This is why he pleaded guilty to “driving without due care and attention.”, which ignores the fact that this negligence caused a death.

A $1000 fine, $1800 fine, or even a $10,000 fine would still be insulting to the family of the victim.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 10 months ago (1 children)

"criminal negligence resulting in the loss of life"

[–] [email protected] 24 points 10 months ago

That would actually be a justified charge, but the court decided not to pursue criminal charges.

Seems to be a trend to simply let truck drivers off the hook for their negligence. The truck driver who killed 16 people in Saskatchewan only got 5 years before he was out on parole. In Toronto, a truck driver with a history of bad driving killed a cyclist and saw no time in jail.

There is no justice for people killed by vehicles.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 10 months ago

Trucks make wide turns.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago

$1,150.

That is the value of a human life, if they are a cyclist. Absurd.