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Teen driver arraigned on charges she dragged, abandoned bicyclist on the Jamaicaway
By adamg on Fri, 11/26/2010 - 12:38pm
The 16-year-old Jamaica Plain girl, allegedly driving her mom's mini-van without permission, was arraigned this morning in West Roxbury District Court on a variety of charges related to an Oct. 8 incident that sent a 65-year-old man to the hospital for three weeks with severe injuries that required surgery and skin grafts, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports.
Judge Terry Craven released the teen, not named because of her age, on personal recognizance after she pleaded not delinquent to charges of negligent operation of a motor vehicle, leaving the scene of an accident causing personal injury, using a motor vehicle without authority and operating a motor vehicle without a license, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's office, which did not name her because of her age.
Craven also ordered her to stay away from the wheel.
In a statement, the DA's office described its case:
Evidence developed by State Police assigned to the Leverett Circle Barracks indicates that the juvenile was using her mother’s white Dodge Caravan on the afternoon of Oct. 8 while her mother was out of town.
At about 1:00, the evidence suggests, the teen took a right out of Jamaicaway Court onto the Jamaicaway when her van and the victim’s bicycle collided. The van dragged the bicycle and its rider almost 200 feet north. When the cycle finally disengaged from the van, the defendant allegedly continued traveling northbound.
The victim, also a Jamaica Plain resident, was rushed to Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where he stayed for about three weeks. He suffered multiple rib fractures, a punctured lung, and extensive abrasions to his face and back, [DA Daniel] Conley said.
Later on the day of the collision, State troopers observed a white van matching descriptions given by witnesses. It had damage to the front bumper, passenger’s side, and undercarriage. That vehicle was in the vicinity of the defendant’s home. State Police made contact with the rightful owner - the victim's mother - who was out of town and said that no one was to be using her van while she was away.
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Comments
Sooo, she hits this 65 y/o
Sooo, she hits this 65 y/o elderly male, drags him ,then takes off!!
good thing this isn't my father she left in the street to die like a dog...she should spend time in jail. I dont care how old she is
and next time MOM. if nobody is suppose to use your car while your out of town. take the car keys with you....
No different from that drunk in Waltham
Remember the souse that had a suspended license and multiple DUIs, hit a teen worthy of sainthood and put him in a serious coma, and drove off? She got turned loose the same day - and she didn't have parents to put her under house arrest, either.
It isn't her youth or anything - this is standard MA car privilege procedure. If she shot a gun in the air - jail. Kill someone with your vehicle - that's just an accident.
tough story and happy he's
tough story and happy he's alive, but it amazes me when I see people riding bikes on jamaica way. My immediate thought is "wow, that person has a death wish." or, "wow, it's really too bad that person somehow doesn't realize there is a bike patch like inches away from them, off the road."
wtf?
Uh oh.
Now you did it. Biker vs driver is a hot topic in this city.
Bicyclist might have been crossing the Jamaicaway
rather than riding on it. This seems likely considering that the collision occurred as the driver made a right turn.
if it was just a case of
if it was just a case of crossing JWay, then obviously color me lame for jumping to conclusions...But either way, it still boggles my mind when i see people actually riding ON the J way...When there is a bike path right there. It's suicide.
And I dont see this as a biker v driver issue. It's a common sense issue.
I'm a huge biker (ok, not road, but mtn), and i totally believe in more lanes, biker rights, etc, but this one issue (that i see constantly) just makes me fear for bikers, and it seems needless.
agreed
I'm a nodding bobble-head on any biking issue, but I can't imagine anyone biking on the J'way. Driving on it is scary enough, not to mention there's a bike path right next to it.
Taking a look at the map here
The doctor works in Brookline and was going home to Jamaica Plain. That puts him going southbound on or next to the J-Way.
He was hit by a van coming out of Jamaicaway Court taking a right turn onto the Jamaicaway, which is northbound.
Here's the spot.
Given these two facts, I see three possible ways he could have been riding to be hit here. If he was riding with the flow of traffic on the J-Way (nuts in itself) she could not have hit him turning right here unless she turned all the way through two opposing traffic lanes. So he wasn't doing that. He could only have been hit
A) If he was traveling southbound in the northbound lane on the J-Way;
B) If he was riding on the sidewalk on the east side of the J-Way and crossing the road at Jamaicaway Court;or
C) If he had been riding down the southbound lane or, more probably, the path on the west side of the J-Way, and had just turned and crossed the J-Way in the middle of the block on the north side of Jamaicaway Court.
The man was a regular bicyclist, and I highly doubt he would actually ride against traffic on a busy road like the J-Way. That's simply insane. If he crossed the road at this spot (pretty dumb thing to do), he would probably aim for the south side of JW Court, not the north side. Therefore, the collision most probably happened as he was riding across Jamaicaway Court in the crosswalk. The dragging was on the J-Way, but that's not where he was hit.
Dr. Brush is listed on Myrtle Street in JP, so he could have been planning to turn from the crosswalk onto Jamaicaway Court and follow through to Centre or to continue on the sidewalk down to Pond. Both are safe and legal routes. Either way, it is extremely unlikely Dr. Brush was riding his bike against traffic on the J-Way.
tough story and happy he's
tough story and happy he's alive, but it amazes me when I see people riding SUVs on jamaica way. My immediate thought is "wow, that person has a death wish." or, "wow, it's really too bad that person somehow doesn't realize there is another road like feet away from them"
Gotta admit . . .
. . . as someone who has been critical of bikers in the past I have seen a marked improvement lately in bikers obeying traffic laws and I have noticed bikers making more of an effort to stay within their lanes. I've also noticed that among my biker friends no one is more critical of inconsiderate bikers than other bikers.
So to the bikers out there- thanks for what I see as increase in mindfulness and I try to return that consideration while driving now as well.
Their lanes?
State law permits bicyclists in all lanes of traffic, even when there's a bike path, so your lanes are just as much "their lanes" too.
Right
The only difference is that if a minivan hits an SUV then the SUV driver won't be dragged for 200 feet.
I've always . . .
. . . been extra careful around bikers when I drive. But what has rattled me in the past is the seeming unpredictability of some bikers. Cars pretty much go one right behind the other. Bikers can come from anywhere and when not obeying traffic laws . . . it's a recipe for disaster. But I have noticed bikers are getting better about that. I don't see red light running by bikers much at all any more.
The J-way needs to be turned
The J-way needs to be turned back into a two lane parkway with speeds held at 25-35 miles an hour. It's an absolute disgrace that this "parkway" has been turned into a four lane surface highway where the average Masshole is trying to push 45-50 miles an hour.
Agreed
The traffic is definitely too fast for the condition (and width) of the roadway.
I'd be very surprised if this
I'd be very surprised if this driver ever sees the inside of a cell. Cyclists, even the ones who obey all traffic laws, are second-class citizens.
Right for the Wrong Reason
A juvenile has to kill someone intentionally or commit several violent crimes before actually going to jail. It has nothing to do with whether the victim is a cyclist, pedestrian, or SUV driver. It has nothing to do with the victim's age, ethnicity, or gender. It has to do with the perp's age and prior record and the nature of the incident (drunk/intentional/whatever).