Canadian woman faces life in prison

I feel really bad for this young girl. She definitely does not deserve life in prison. The wife of the deceased husband and teenager says she wishes no ill will on this young girl.

What if the ducks had run out in front of the motorcycle, would they have swerved or stopped? I think it was a total accident, just a terrible terrible situation. Most drivers first instinct when an animal runs out in front of your car is to swerve or stop.

It would be very sad to send her to prison for life when all she was doing was trying to save some animals from getting killed. She wasn't drunk, high or speeding.
 
Sounds like USA is not alone in needing justice system overhaul... this is sad!
 
She had been stopped long enough that she was not even in the car. She certainly bears responsibility for obstructing a lane - but why didn't the other driver slow or stop? I think she got punished too harshly for what she actually did - the outcome was very sad - but she was just one piece of a chain reaction.
 
If you're in a car and there's a small animal in your lane, you're supposed to just drive over it and keep on going. Her idea of herding the ducks into her car was dumb, it's not so easy to do that. Also, how close were those bikers following that they couldn't stop in time? I agree that her sentence is really harsh, if that's what she ends up with.
 
Count on Canadians to go to the extreme. I can understand some jail time and permanent loss of her license but hardened criminals get less. It makes no sense.....

Laura
 
Oh wow, in US, criminal negligence could be few to several years in prison.
 
I'm curious as to what the roadway looked like.. Wonder if the motorcyclist could not stop because her car was stopped around a curve or something and he didn't see it in time. It also doesn't say at what time of the day the accident happened.

There's more to it than what's in the story I think but I do think life in prison is a bit much.. maybe 25 years or something would fit more...
 
It is totally harsh for a first time offender... was she ever been arrested before or something? Life in prison for the 1st time offender in this tragic accident does not help anyone in the end. It makes matters much worse. :(
 
I was thinking about this when we were on our day trip yesterday. Winding roads, very narrow with a drop off to your right. If an animal ran across the highway I would hope I would not swerve into on coming traffic or off the cliff. When things like this happen it's a good reminder for others to think about where we are and what we would do in the same situation. For me, I doubt I could just plow right through any animal.

When I am driving I always look around me for an out. If this happens....I will do this type of thing.
 
I could never plow into an animal either if I can help it. I wonder, was there no shoulder she could have pulled over onto? At any rate, the life in prison seems very extreme. She was not intending to do bad. I feel bad for her. Trying to help the ducks and this happens.
 
Driving experts recommend never swerving for an animal because that's more dangerous than braking.

Avoid hitting them if it's safe, of course. But some places aren't safe for swerving or stopping.

Even then, animal movements are unpredictable, so swerving is no guarantee of missing them.
 
I've seen cases where a dog has run out into traffic and caused a really bad accident involving motorcycles. The owner of the dog was the one who got sued.

I've never been in that situation but I hope if I am I would do the right thing.
 
Going a bit off topic on driving..... if there are people with dogs, and the area we're in is too narrow, I stop and let them through first. It's common courtesy, and I don't run the risk of accidentally injuring the animal and getting sued. I always make sure they have enough room to pass me on my bicycle.
 
ChicagoBlue2 said:
Going a bit off topic on driving..... if there are people with dogs, and the area we're in is too narrow, I stop and let them through first. It's common courtesy, and I don't run the risk of accidentally injuring the animal and getting sued. I always make sure they have enough room to pass me on my bicycle.
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I'm talking about a dog that is off leash, out of control by the owner.
 
Yeah.. not only that, there is wild animals that can dart in the street without warning.

I'm surprised that the owner of the dog got sued because of the loose dog that ran into the street and struck the motorcycle. It was usually the dog bite that normally get the dog owners sued.

Angel1989 said:
I'm talking about a dog that is off leash, out of control by the owner.
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Angel1989 said:
I'm talking about a dog that is off leash, out of control by the owner.
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I know what you mean. That's not allowed here. Owners can get slapped with a ticket for doing so, and it has happened before when pit bulls have escaped and attacked someone.
 
Calvin said:
Yeah.. not only that, there is wild animals that can dart in the street without warning.

I'm surprised that the owner of the dog got sued because of the loose dog that ran into the street and struck the motorcycle. It was usually the dog bite that normally get the dog owners sued.
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If you have lost control of your dog and they run into the street and cause an accident it is the dog owners fault. Yes, and owners do get sued over dog bites too. I don't know how others states do it but in California this is the law.
 
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