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Truck driver receives fine and one-year ban after killing Vancouver cyclist - Canadian Cycling Magazine (cyclingmagazine.ca)
submitted 11 months ago by Showroom7561@lemmy.ca to c/bicycles@lemmy.ca
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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[-] lntl@lemmy.ml 55 points 11 months ago

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

How about that

[-] ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca 18 points 11 months ago

This was an attempt by Big Car to silence his work

[-] nik282000@lemmy.ca 18 points 11 months ago

Big Car

They're called trucks.

[-] the_postminimalist@sh.itjust.works 25 points 11 months ago

It costs $1000 to legally kill someone.

[-] sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 5 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 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...

[-] snota@sh.itjust.works 11 points 11 months ago

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.

[-] Showroom7561@lemmy.ca 58 points 11 months ago

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.

[-] lntl@lemmy.ml 20 points 11 months ago

"criminal negligence resulting in the loss of life"

[-] Showroom7561@lemmy.ca 24 points 11 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.

[-] PriorityMotif@lemmy.world 9 points 11 months ago

Trucks make wide turns.

[-] ag_roberston_author@beehaw.org 3 points 11 months ago

$1,150.

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

this post was submitted on 20 Dec 2023
146 points (98.0% liked)

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