Driver of MH indicted in death of Police Officer

Noe-place-he should be sued. And If he doesnt have enough insurance then his house will be on the line next.

The other part of this issue being overlooked is the officer's family will no doubt sue the rv driver for wrongful death. Whether he's found guilty or not he can still be sued.

As a police officer myself I am conflicted. Its horrible that an officer died and doesn't get to go home to see his family. That is my greatest fear every morning I put on the uniform... has my wife and daughter seen me alive for the last time?

I have seen plenty of STUPID while directing traffic. You put up flares or cones, people treat it like a slalom course. Rarely do we have enough resources to physically block the road with police cars. I've been hit by a car directing traffic after a tornado. I've seen other officers hit. People can get really stupid when they drive. They seem to forget that a 4000+ lbs vehicle hurtling down the road at 60+ mph will kill a person.

Now... if what the news is reporting is true then the driver needs to be punished. What is an appropriate punishment? I'm sure that this driver will remember and regret his actions every time he drives. I'd be willing to bet that he never makes this mistake again. On the other hand, the wife and children of the deceased officer will never see him again...

Thank God I am not a judge. RIP officer.

I have seen a driver try to go between two police cars closing off an accident scene,,, The officer he hit survived (Seems the flack vest is vehicle proof) but he was given medical retirement from the department, Never recoverd full use of his arms and legs.. And I've seen a case where the road was open, the officer and two truck drivers were walking back down the shoulder to inspect the skid marks,,, The officer in the middle.

BOTH TRUCK drivers got broken arms (think about this, the officer was in the middle) when a driver decided YES DECIDED, to run him over.. By the way, He was one of mine, I was the dispatcher on duty that night, I called EMS for him. (The other one I knew as well but he was on a different shift).

He be in jail and will not have to worry if he had enough money to continue retirement. And his healthcare is going to be free!

I think for some in that age group and younger are diving an overloaded truck for the first time in their life and just panic under stress. Every time we get in a MH we are are at a higher risk of killing others. This fall I used our single axle 1989 Ford F700 to help my brother get out his corn crop after he took off work for two weeks and it rained the whole time. That was not something I had done in 25 years plus he overloaded it when I was not there because we had built a 4' high box inside my 2' dirt/gravel sides. I got it to the elevator but that load was 24,000 pounds of corn because it is a 16'long bed. The truck actually moved it OK but I kept it down around 35 miles a left in the dark to miss most of the traffic.

Now if it has been a year or two since driving the MH much I am rusty for the first 100 miles. A MH is a different ballgame than a car or pick up. When people are in the roadway that is a different ball game too.

I do feel for this guy because I am sure this has changed his retirement plans totally.

wa8yxm wrote:
Two observations (Well 3)
1: Many folks say "Are CB radios of any use" I was in a traffic jam situtation due to a fatal accident (2 of them) 3 miles ahead a couple years ago but the CB went off telling me about it, so I, being in the right lane, activated my turn signal and exited, got to the cross road just as police closed the entrance ramp, Wally-docked the night, and the jam, away and continued on in the AM.

Had I been in a hurry, well it was time for dinner and a nice eatery nearby as well.

That was the first two,, (1: People ask if CB's are worthwhile, 2: I was directed to an exit and thus avoided the backup)

TWO: The article clearly said he tried to drive BETWEEN the Police car and the Help truck.. And it also stated that the pair were blocking 2 lanes, In short he tried to drive where traffic was NOT supposed to drive.

Three: Because he did something he was being told NOT to do, By a police officer, said officer was killed,

So he deserves the time to contemplate what being in the devil's own hurry brings about.

Oh, one more observation: RV lifestyle is about smelling the roses, not getting there first, He forgot that, and now.. He will be delayed getting there, by anywhere from a few years to 20-life.

Other than truck drivers no one under 60 years of age knows what a CB is. There are PLENTY of TRAFFIC APPS for smartphones......

Sometimes people are either in a hurry or fatigued or in some otherway distracted. I do not have all the facts in this one but after a good many years on the road rving, I like many of you have seen enough to write a book.
One thing that has really started to bother me is I see all the recommendations for truck sizes and what will pull what safely then I watch the big PU trucks running 70-80 MPH weaving in and out pulling their TT or FVER. I don't know how many times I have been passed by a large MH that was going way in excess of the speed limit. None of it makes sense to me. I hope I never get into this situation with my head in the wrong place.

lizzie wrote:
Whatever happened think how awful he must feel. Everybody makes mistakes and so far I haven't made any that resulted in the injury or death of another human being. Something else to be thankful for. lizzie

I agree totally. More than likely his RV days are over and he will carry this burden for the rest of his life. I pray I will never make a mistake like this. OBSERVE YOUR SURROUNDINGS AND DRIVE SAFELY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

An indictment only means there was enough evidence to proceed to trial. He is still innocent until proven guilty. If I recall the original news stories about this, there was a lot of inconsistency in the media reports (imagine that).

-Michael