Driver sentenced for 45 years in Chicago road rage case

[mdennison]

At least he turned himself in. The whole thing sux though...


Nice sig Fausto! I wish I could get a refund of this months "stripper" money....then would go buy a radeon 8500 retail for $150...

<~~~is stayin home tonight...

 

[Nitemare]

<< Hey Nitemare, I have this 18 wheelers, you better get off the road with your car when I drive down the road... >>



Hey crystal, heres a quarter buy a clue..You couldn't drive you way out a wet paper bag. Think before you type.

I've driven big trucks before as well as bicycles when I was a kid. There are roads that are prohibited for 18 wheelers to drive on...weight as well as neighborhood restrictions. I did not bike in non-residential neighborhoods nor in busy roads.

He was guilty but does he need to be crucified and made an example of? How friggin fair is that? You can kill someone with your barehands in front of a bunch of little hockey kids and walk in 3 years with parole, but lose your head for a second and sideswip a A-Hole bicyclist and you get 45 years. He's guilty yes...but not as guilty as the hockey dad that got a slap on the wrist

 

[Hammer]

The car factored in as a deadly weapon, the hockey dad used his hands.



<< He was guilty but does he need to be crucified and made an example of? How friggin fair is that? You can kill someone with your barehands in front of a bunch of little hockey kids and walk in 3 years with parole, but lose your head for a second and sideswip a A-Hole bicyclist and you get 45 years. He's guilty yes...but not as guilty as the hockey dad that got a slap on the wrist >>

 

[cipher00]

Well, I've had little sympathy for bicycle messengers since one deliberately ran into me while I was a pedestrian. But not enough to want to kill the moron.

We've all got to share the road. Most of us don't seem to like to share.

 

[Hammer]

I agree with everything you said. I was recounting an experience. I have had to avoid cyclist many times that cut in front in the city or run lights. They believe that because they are on a bike the law doesn't apply to them. That and because the bicyclist himself, as you pointed out earlier, was also guilty of road rage (and stupidty) leave me very unsympathetic. Fausto1 biased for bicyclist being he is one, I am biased against them.



<< I don't like getting stuck behind bikers either.

But they have every right to use the road (let's all agree we're not talking about interstate highways here), and that's the way it is. Most bikers are courteous enough to stay near the curb instead of in the middle of the traffic lane. To say they shouldn't use the road because it slows you down, or causes traffic backups, is ridiculous.

The only thing more ridiculous than that is the statement that "it's for their protection".

Let the drivers be cautious enough NOT to run down bikers. That's part of the deal when driving a vehicle. >>

 

[Jzero]

<< Can you describe a situation when you don't have enough time to slow down? >>


No but I can describe a situation where a cyclist should stay the F* off the street:
I commute to work down a narrow one-way street with parking on both sides.
There is a public bike bath one block below this road that runs parallel to the road.
There is not enough room to pass except when cross streets come out, but the cyclists don't usually move over, so everone has to putter along behind the cyclists the whole way.

Normally I respect cyclists' right to be on the road, but someone kindly explain to me why anyone with half a brain would compete on this narrow road when the bike path is right there and leads to the same destination.
If you're concerned about traffic on the cyclepath, I can tell you right now--I live on the path. It does NOT get heavy foot traffic. Either way, wouldn't you rather compete with foot traffic than cars?

But that's a special case. Normally I don't care.
One day I was pretty peeved b/c I was making a right turn at a light and there was a biker on my right going straight.
So I wait for the biker to cross before I turn, and the @sshole behind me starts honking his horn!
WTF!

 

[Fausto]

<< I'm sorry you're to f*cking stupid to know a sarcastic comment (re: the might makes right) . Good luck getting your GED dumb@ss. Did I say killing him was alright, f*ckwad? I said the guy was an idiot to challenge someone in an SUV, and he was. The SUV driver was an idiot for blowing it out of porportion. As for me getting pissed, how would you like if I walked up right in front of you and kicked your bike down hard? Let me guess, you would not get pissed, you would run and cry to your mother. Damn, there's some dumb mofos on this board >>



I didn't think you were being sarcastic.....the "I own the road because my car is bigger than yours" attitude is very prevalent here in ATL so you'll have to forgive me for assuming you were serious.

Now, the motorist started all this by intentionally squeezing the cyclist. As I have stated earlier, we get upset when this happens because we could very easily die as a result. Okay, someone touches your car....you're pissed...I would be too. But someone almost kills you because they think you shouldn't be on the road and threatens you with a 2-ton vehicle??!! Of course the cyclist blew a gasket....that's the whole point. He didn't just tee off on the guy in the car for no reason, he literally had his life threatened and was understandably pissed about it. What are we supposed to do? Just sit there and smile as some tool in an Excursion nearly runs us over? Of course not....you let the person know that you don't appreciate the way they drive. We have a legal right to be on the road, write your congressman if you don't like it.

Fausto

PS- "run and cry to my mother"...."good luck getting your GED". Wow. Your superior powers of insult are too much for me. I cower before your verbal onslaught. I will now take my master's degree and run home to be comforted.

 

[Hammer]

I assumed by your lack of comprehension you had not finished high school. Also, since you seem to think it was not right for me to get upset if someone raps on my car, I also assumed in that situation you would do nothing. I guess your comprehension skills failed you there as well. Btw, ordering a Master's degree over the internet does not mean you have a master's degree.



<< PS- "run and cry to my mother"...."good luck getting your GED". Wow. Your superior powers of insult are too much for me. I cower before your verbal onslaught. I will now take my master's degree and run home to be comforted.

>>



Ok, let me give you an example that you can understand. If someone is running out of a bank with a gun in a hurry and bumps into you and knocks you over, what would you do? Would you push him and get in this face and call him an @sshole?



<< But someone almost kills you because they think you shouldn't be on the road and threatens you with a 2-ton vehicle??!! Of course the cyclist blew a gasket....that's the whole point. He didn't just tee off on the guy in the car for no reason, he literally had his life threatened and was understandably pissed about it. What are we supposed to do? Just sit there and smile as some tool in an Excursion nearly runs us over? Of course not....you let the person know that you don't appreciate the way they drive >>

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

This guy got way too stiff a penalty. And if a 'vehicle' doesn't require a licence plate, or a licenced operator, it shouldn't be on the road. Period.

 

[Fausto]

Okay. Here we go. Cut and paste o-rama.



<< I agree with everything you said. I was recounting an experience. I have had to avoid cyclist many times that cut in front in the city or run lights. They believe that because they are on a bike the law doesn't apply to them. That and because the bicyclist himself, as you pointed out earlier, was also guilty of road rage (and stupidty) leave me very unsympathetic. Fausto1 biased for bicyclist being he is one, I am biased against them. >>



Couple things to point out here. I have no sympathy for cyclists who fail to obey the laws of the road. We have the right to be there, so we should act like it. There are plenty of cyclists who do the dumbest sh*t imagineable on a daily basis....and it makes the rest of us look bad and biases people like you agianst us as a whole. And yes, the cyclist was absolutely guilty of road rage.....any cop will tell you that the story changes once you smack someone's car. The cyclist was wrong to do so, I don't think there's any question about this.



<< Ok, let me give you an example that you can understand. If someone is running out of a bank with a gun in a hurry and bumps into you and knocks you over, what would you do? Would you push him and get in this face and call him an @sshole? >>



Totally irrelevant. What you typed is essentially a "might makes right" situation. A gun and a car are two entirely different things (although they may both be used to kill) and the two situations are totally unrelated. One is a crime in progress and the other one (we are currently discussing) is a case of a vehicle infringing on another vehicle's (yes, a bike is legally a vehicle...look it up) legal "space" on a roadway. It's no different than merging into another lane on a highway and cutting someone off....the motorist was initially guilty of failure to yield. As I have stated before (re:Also, since you seem to think it was not right for me to get upset if someone raps on my car, I also assumed in that situation you would do nothing. ), this relatively minor infraction (in a legal sense) very often results in death or serious injury to the cyclist. Hence, we get really, really angry when it happens; both your legal rights and your life are being threatened all in one go. Again, it wasn't about your car getting smacked for no reason. That was the whole point.

And finally....


<< I assumed by your lack of comprehension you had not finished high school. Also, since you seem to think it was not right for me to get upset if someone raps on my car, I also assumed in that situation you would do nothing. I guess your comprehension skills failed you there as well. Btw, ordering a Master's degree over the internet does not mean you have a master's degree. >>



BS- Emory University (Chemistry) 1993
MS- Emory University (Molecular Biology) 1996

I don't think those are available by mail order.

Fausto

 

[Triumph]

Dispite hammer's retarded comments, this driver got what he deserved, and the bicyclist didn't deserve to be murdered. Maybe when this guy gets out of jail, he'll have learned how to control his anger, something he should've learned when he was 12 years old.

 

[Hammer]

Funny, being called a retard by someone too stupid to have learned to read.



<< Dispite hammer's retarded comments, this driver got what he deserved, and the bicyclist didn't deserve to be murdered. Maybe when this guy gets out of jail, he'll have learned how to control his anger, something he should've learned when he was 12 years old. >>

 

[purplehayes]

<< This guy got way too stiff a penalty. And if a 'vehicle' doesn't require a licence plate, or a licenced operator, it shouldn't be on the road. Period. >>



Gonad - Are you old enough to have children? Have you EVER let them ride their bikes in the street? If I were to intentionally hit one of your kids while they were riding their bike, would a 45 year penalty be stiff enough?

PH

 

[Hammer]

Fausto1: I understand where you're coming from, but it doesn't change my view. Ideally there would be a bike lane everywhere and everyone would follow the rules, but that's not going to happen. I'm still going to be stuck behind a guy doing 10 miles an hour on a narrow lane. Like I said the guy did not deserve to be killed for what he did, but he put he was stupid to do that to the other guy. A simple middle finger and a f*ck you should have been enough, when you get in someone face and mess with their property, you are putting yourself in danger.

 

[Gaard]

<< And if a 'vehicle' doesn't require a licence plate, or a licenced operator, it shouldn't be on the road. Period. >>


hehe

What the heck does that have to do with anything. lol

 

[Jzero]

<<

<< And if a 'vehicle' doesn't require a licence plate, or a licenced operator, it shouldn't be on the road. Period. >>


hehe

What the heck does that have to do with anything. lol >>



Not to mention, in many places you are supposed to register your bike, it's just not heavily enforced.
Furthermore, licensing does little to keep bad drivers off the road. Licensing cyclists would just cost money.

 

[Theslowone]

What if it was a motorcycle or a moped? I personally don't like seeing people ride bikes on the road because from the looks around here they don't know how to, but the laws are laws. One guy was abiding buy them the other wasn't. Then there was a confrontation and the guy then drove him down and killed him. He thought about it and he killed, simple as that. 1st degree murder was his crime and 45 years is what he was sentenced to and that's what he deserves.

 

[crystal]

Hey Nitemare, man.. you are so dense. My point is both bike & car have to right on the road. Just because you are in a big bad car does not mean you have the rigth to the road over the little guys on the bike. My point with the truck is the same way, if you see how stupid that statement are, then I would hope at least how stupid your statement are.

 

[Fausto]

<< . Ideally there would be a bike lane everywhere and everyone would follow the rules, but that's not going to happen. I'm still going to be stuck behind a guy doing 10 miles an hour on a narrow lane. >>



Yup, ain't gonna happen. Too bad because it would make everyone happy if there were simply bike lanes...we have a place to ride and you can get around us easily. (Atlanta is the poster child for bike-unfriendly cities BTW...I deal with this every day to/from work) Just try to remember that the corollary to being stuck behind a cyclist is being the cyclist: hearing the car behind you and hoping to god he doesn't kill you trying to get by. If nothing else, I don't like getting glared at for being on the road...I'm not out there to ruin your day by impeding your driving, I just have to ride so I don't get fat.



<< A simple middle finger and a f*ck you should have been enough, when you get in someone face and mess with their property, you are putting yourself in danger. >>



Right, but who got in whose face first and messed with whose property first? The cyclist was apparently minding his own business and the SUV squeezed him....this is more or less the same as if the cyclist had smacked the guy's car for no reason. But again....the threat of death is not "no reason". Believe me, getting buzzed by a big car is terrifying, you're either going to get squashed by the wheels of the car or crash horribly if the car runs you into the curb. It sucks and is totally unecessary...if the guy in the SUV had just gone around the cyclist or even leaned on the horn we wouldn't be having this conversation.

Fausto

 

[Triumph]

<< Funny, being called a retard by someone too stupid to have learned to read.
And this comment is in reference to.....Oh you're right. I OBVIOUSLY can't read.

Good rebuttal.


<< That cyclist should not have messed with that guys car. If someone were to 'rap' on my car, I would be extremely pissed. He was an idiot to challenge the guy in the SUV and paid the price. >>


This is the most retarded statement I have ever heard. The way you word it, you're practically saying the driver was justified in killing the man.

 

[PlatinumGold]

This thread is HILARIOUS.

Everyone agrees that the MURDER was an unacceptable response to the situation at hand.

the only point worth discussing is "was the Driver given an excessive penalty in order to be made an example of?" if so then we have a serious debate on our hands.

all this sh!t about "I had a bad experience w/ a biker" "I had a bad experience w/ an Auto driver" that's BS and has NO BEARING on the situation at hand.

NOTHING the biker did or could have done, (short of pulling a pistol out) justifies what that driver did. NOTHING.

 

[Hammer]

That was in reference to your earlier statement. You post without without reading the thread first. Not a sign of intelligence. I thought I explained the 2nd statement. If you still don't get it, read through the thread again.

<<

<< Funny, being called a retard by someone too stupid to have learned to read.
And this comment is in reference to.....Oh you're right. I OBVIOUSLY can't read.

Good rebuttal.


<< That cyclist should not have messed with that guys car. If someone were to 'rap' on my car, I would be extremely pissed. He was an idiot to challenge the guy in the SUV and paid the price. >>


This is the most retarded statement I have ever heard. The way you word it, you're practically saying the driver was justified in killing the man. >>

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

I find the level of bile in this thread nearly unbelievable. I can't see anything controversial about the proposition that it is unacceptable to chase after a cyclist, deliberately kill him with your car, then flee the scene.

I find it sad and, frankly, crazy that anyone would seriously argue that cyclists should not be permitted on public roads. It disturbs me even more that a person would advance the proposition that a cyclist knocking on the window of an Expedition that cuts him off has "abused" the driver, much less that he has somehow signed his own death warrant. To the extent that cyclists are thin-skinned about drivers' attitudes, this thread should clarify why they feel that way! The personal attacks by hammer09 in this thread are a perfect example of the attitude cyclists face every day.

I say 45 years for Carnell Fitzpatrick is a reasonable and just sentence.

 

[Hammer]

Don_Vito: I find it more disturbing when people don't read the thread at all and have no idea what they are talking about. Re-read the thread carefully and you will see my position. As for my personal attacks, I do not make personal attacks except in reponse to a personal attack on me. If you read the thread before you posted, you would know that.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

<< Don_Vito: I find it more disturbing when people don't read the thread at all and have no idea what they are talking about. Re-read the thread carefully and you will see my position. As for my personal attacks, I do not make personal attacks except in reponse to a personal attack on me. If you read the thread before you posted, you would know that. >>



I did read the entire thread. From what I can see you have displayed a consistently hostile, combative tone, and frankly I would find your arguments laughable were they not so disturbing. People with attitudes like yours put cyclists in danger (and, at least occasionally, in morgues) every day.