In Memoriam Johnny Gaudreau & Matthew Gaudreau killed by drunk driver while cycling (MOD WARNING. No Flaming, Trolling, or Politics.)

[Chuck Norris Trophy]

The title has wrong post number.

 

[Arthur Morgan]

Scum

their sister was getting married TODAY too? wow the more I find out about this the more sick I feel.
can't imagine how she feels.

 

[Incognito]

I don't actually believe this.

Ah, sorry, my bad. It’s hard to interpret tone through text.

 

[JKG33]

So if a girl gets raped, do you get to say "Well, she should know that wearing a short skirt might invite some people to do this".

You're still victim blaming. All these things can be true. The "advice" you're giving can be true, but that advice is still victim blaming.

No, and that's a ridiculous take that's bordering on trolling, and you know it.

Now if you told me she was walking alone in a sketchy area at night, or taking drinks from random strangers, that'd be more applicable to this scenario. Neither action makes rape justifiable, but if we lived in a perfect utopia where bad people didn't exist then the Gaudreau brothers (and many others) would still be with us today.

Every action and decision has a risk tolerance attached to it. As an avid cyclist, I consciously avoid busy roads at all hours, sticking to bike paths and suburban areas. Now obviously I have a lower risk tolerance than the Gaudreau's did, but even I was nearly hit on a residential road in broad daylight. Someone with an even lower risk tolerance than I would say to only bike on paths, or even not bike at all. They'd be right, and that's still not victim blaming. Just merely stating a fact.

 

[Straight Fire]

This is terrifyingly shocking and sad. Johnny was my favorite player since he ioined the league and probably my favorite player of all time going back to my earliest days watching hockey on the late 70s early 80s.

The tragedy is immeasurable. I can't imagine how devastating this is to Johnny's wife and kids, his parents and his sister who was to be married the next day with Johnny and his brother as groomsmen. All I can do is pray. So so horrific.

 

[SoundwaveIsCharisma]

No words.

What an asshole.

 

[Score08]

But we HAVE created a dangerous environment for rural cycling. That’s an inescapable reality.

Also, the term “victim blaming” has a real meaning which is not at all applicable here. Everyone in the room understands that cyclists have the right to those roads. Simply having the right doesn’t mean it’s safe, which is why cyclists are hit on rural roads all the time.

Why don’t you just pass on your condolences and leave it at that. This commentary is unnecessary and in poor taste.

 

[is the answer jesus]

1st degree murder is premeditated

2nd degree is in the heat of the moment. This absolutely qualifies.

Where you see DUIs resulting in death being charged as manslaughter is because murder requires malice and most courts rule that getting behind a wheel knowingly drunk doesnt constitute malice, just negligence

You are correct in that murder is frequently broken into 2 categories with 1st degree being premeditated and 2nd degree being without planning. The problem being is murder is intentional and as you said requires malice. Nothing we've heard about this incident indicates that this person intentionally killed them so this absolutely does not qualify as 2nd degree murder. Your last paragraph lays out exactly why this is a textbook case of manslaughter.

 

[Acallabeth]

Should be the death penalty.

Drinking while driving and causing someone else to lose their life should automatically have you forfeit yours.

And if an architect designs a bad house that collapses and kills 1000 people, we should execute his entire city, right?

 

[Frank Drebin]

So apparently this scumbag drunk driver’s biggest concern wasn’t the fact that he’d just ended the lives of two people (and ruined the lives of countless others), but rather that he’d have to remain in custody until at least next Thursday … as if he was the real victim in all of this. This dude is a sociopath and he doesn’t deserve to live amongst normal people.

You concluded all of that from that video did ya

 

[Coffey]

I don't think it is that so much as the larger question of whether or not bicycles should/can share the same spaces. Sometimes it is yes. Sometimes it is is no.

There is a nuance that bike enthusiasts don't want to acknowledge.

Cars shouldn't be driving in the shoulder lane.

 

[AlternateSideParking]

From the testimony gathered at the scene, it was purely aggressive reaction to a perceived slight against him. He came up fast on two cars traveling in front of him, moved to the oncoming lane to pass the back car, where the front car then also moved into the oncoming lane to give the bikers room, Higgins thought this was an attempt to block him from passing, so he quickly veered back into the correct lane where the bikers were, striking them.

Thing is, that road has tractor signs everywhere and it's farmland. Anyone familiar with that usually knows moving to the left a little means a tractor is ahead, even at dusk. Two cars or more moving over means you should do the same. But he was a drunk asshole who was selfish, so common sense went out the window.

 

[AKL]

You are correct in that murder is frequently broken into 2 categories with 1st degree being premeditated and 2nd degree being without planning. The problem being is murder is intentional and as you said requires malice. Nothing we've heard about this incident indicates that this person intentionally killed them so this absolutely does not qualify as 2nd degree murder. Your last paragraph lays out exactly why this is a textbook case of manslaughter.

Minnesota, Florida and Pennsylvania also have a definition for 3rd degree murder, which is essentially what most states would consider manslaughter, but with harsher sentences.

 

[Patrik26]

Should be off the roads permanently. And hopefully he'll rot in prison long enough for that to be the case.

He won't. New Jersey. Citizens, ALL of them, have rights. Kum ba yah.

 

[SoundwaveIsCharisma]

You concluded all of that from that video did ya

I mean, if I were in that situation I’d be absolutely mortified and despondent over taking the lives of two people due to my own recklessness, I wouldn’t be responding with an exacerbated sigh as if I were a teenager that just got told I couldn’t go out with my friends tonight

 

[Soundwave]

From the testimony gathered at the scene, it was purely aggressive reaction to a perceived slight against him. He came up fast on two cars traveling in front of him, moved to the oncoming lane to pass the back car, where the front car then also moved into the oncoming lane to give the bikers room, Higgins thought this was an attempt to block him from passing, so he quickly veered back into the correct lane where the bikers were, striking them.

Whole thing is just so tragic, just a terrible series of events.

 

[geisterpanthers]

To say that the driver was drunk almost sounds like an excuse for that that piece of shit. I wish him the very worst... saying what I really wish to happen to that disgusting smth would probably get me in trouble.

 

[Incognito]

Reminds me of the Stephanie Melgoza case where she ran down two pedestrians and was upset that she would be missing her class the next day and that they wouldn’t give her cellphone back to her, didn’t care at all that she had killed two people

I both hope and believe that these are factors which will ultimately influence the sentence handed down.

 

[AKL]

Thing is, that road has tractor signs everywhere and it's farmland. Anyone familiar with that usually knows moving to the left a little means a tractor is ahead, even at dusk. Two cars or more moving over means you should do the same. But he was a drunk asshole who was selfish, so common sense went out the window.

Yeah, rational people should think that. I'm not sure whether the alcohol played a part, or whether he would have taken it as the front car trying to prevent him from passing even if he were sober.

Regardless, if he ever does get out of prison, he doesn't belong anywhere near alcohol or a car, whether under the law or by his own volition.

 

[KrugAvoy]

No words.

No remorse. Throw the book at him

 

[Incognito]

You concluded all of that from that video did ya

What else is there to conclude? Any normal person wouldn’t give a shit about having to stay in custody for another week. They’d be too focused on the fact that they just killed two people.

 

[JurassicTunga]

 

[Gregor Samsa]

This thread has evolved pretty much as expected, but with a rape discussion coming out of left field though

 

[snag]

Cars shouldn't be driving in the shoulder lane.

Agreed. And bikes shouldn't be in the slow lane. Ebikes and scooters shouldn't be on sidewalks.
So many shouldn'ts that seem to never be enforced and then tradedy strikes.

A while back I was going 65kph in town and I look in my rear view and I see a guy standing behind my truck....on a scooter.

No helmet.
No license.
No registration.
No insurance.

Roads in many jurisdictions have been allowed to become a shit show. They need tightening up in almost every regard.

 

[Skeletorrr]

Is it that simple though? There's less visibility for drivers and cyclists at night never mind the drinking and driving aspect of it.

There's always some level of caution needed when partaking in certain activities considering elements that could impact your safety and enjoyment of those activities.

For some unknown reason the sober participants in this tragedy refused to run over one another.