Friday, October 24, 2008

Another Fatal Hit and Run Driver Gets Off Easy

The Daily News reports that the driver that fatally struck Fifteen-year-old Marylee Otto and fled was sentenced to one to two years in prison

The crash occured at the intersection of Rhawn and Lexington, an intersection that I once biked every day between my house and Market Frankford El. At that location Rhawn St opens up as it crosses over Pennypack Park, 40 to 50 mph speeds is common as driver approach the residential neighborhood of Rhawnhurst.


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Marylee's Mother is not standing by idly, she has formed Families/Friends Against Hit and Run, or FAHR with the mission of convincing the State Legislature to increase the mandatory-minimum prison sentence for motorists who flee the scene of an accident from one-two years to five years. You can contact FAHR at 267-975-2879.

Perhaps the first act for change should be the deletion the term "traffic accident" which is a happen-chance event to "crash" which is often preventable. Why penalize someone for an accident? Why convict someone for collateral damage? The bias against recognizing the carnage of motor vehicle collisions is spelled out every day language.

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