Man Gets 16 Years for Killing 2 Bicyclists

Well, we could argue all day about whether 16 years in prison is adequate justice for killing 2 people.

However, let's at least be thankful that this guy is off of the street and won't be killing anyone else for a while. And I would claim that 16 years in prison is a long time. Justice for killing 2 people while DWI? I won't say that, but I will say that some justice is better than no justice.

It's much worse to hear about those incidents with similar circumstances where the drivers are found not guilty or, worse, are not even charged.

The difference is that you are participating in an activity that is not intended to kill people, but did.  If you just murder someone your primary action was the killing.    45000 people die each year in vehicle related accidents.   I don't think we need to start sending all the drivers from those accidents (that lived) to prison.    It sucks when people get hit, but the vast majority of the time it truly is an accident.   The situations surrounding this specific case warranted extra punishment, but I don't think every bike death warrants a jail sentence.  

I agree with you.  I understand the other point that in GENERAL many drivers involved in accidents with fatalities are not intentional murderers and prison time is probably not appropriate.  However, I believe that the minute you get behind the wheel under the influence you have given up your right to classify anything that happens after that an "accident".  You intentionally got drunk, and you intentionally drove.  Anything that happens as a result of those decisions, therefore, was intended on your part. 

For the record, I was arrested for DUI and thank God that I was brought to my senses before I killed anyone with my behavior.  It was a wake up call.  That was about 15 years ago.

I was gonna post something similar.  I'd venture to say that the vast majority are not accidents.  They're due to people being irresponsible with the privilege of driving. 

My experience (I fly patient's from maybe 50 DUI wrecks a year) is that the over-whelming majority of drunk drivers involved are serial offenders. Despite having multiple convictions, they keep doing it until they are behind bars.

Personally I think maybe a highly visible roadside gallows might be an effectve deterrent. "Have a few drinks, drive, and come hang out with us...."

I don't know that hanging someone who kills while DUI is right, but then again.... People who drive under the influence generally get away with it because we do not have effective means to keep them out from behind the wheel.

Come up with an effective means, and likely you will have some lawyer take you to court and tell you their clients rights have been infringed.  Now tell that to the poor families that had to bury their husband, father, son, daughter, mother, sister, brother.... who's right to live were infringed.  The problem is chronic offenders generally don't have cash or assets, and they can't don't get insurance.  So if you are harmed, are basically in a tough spot.  You can't remove their ability to drive, because some idiot will "do them a favor" and let them use their car.

And part of my outrage is because we are in a society that seems to think "as long as they say they are sorry, it is ok."  While the guy's intent was not to kill someone, does that really matter?  I drop a brick from an overpass and it kills someone, my intent was to see how the brick smashed on the ground.  When it smashed on someone that was not my intent, but they are injured and/or dead just the same.  My wife was just recently hit while driving by someone who was drinking/drunk, thank God no one was horribly injured, but it ticks me off that we dismiss the results so easily.

We expect people to see the possible outcomes from their actions, why is it we dismiss that we someone gets drunk then drives over 10 cyclist?  I think if cyclists started pushing for harsher inforcement when someone is injured, that the states would start coming down harder on them.

 I realize this was sarcasm...but even so, he doesn't feel sorry for killing someone as much as he feels sorry he's going to prison.  They should let him rot in there.

I would ditto most of these comments.  My only addition to the conversation is that people should be able to make a mistake...once.  As posted earlier in this thread it is the serial offender I'm most concerned with.  I'm not saying you should be able to get away with killing somebody once.  I mean drunk driving in general.

Right now even if you lose your license the penalty for driving under a suspended license is a joke.