A little justice

Bro Deal

UCSON, Arizona (AP) -- A judge sentenced a woman to nearly the maximum prison term for negligent homicide after hearing a recorded jail conversation in which she made light of the bicyclist she killed.

Melissa Arrington, 27, was convicted two months ago of negligent homicide and two counts of aggravated DUI in connection with the December 2006 death of Paul L'Ecuyer.

She could have gotten as few as four years behind bars, but Superior Court Judge Michael Cruikshank sentenced her Tuesday to 10½ years -- one year shy of the maximum.

Cruikshank said he found a telephone conversation between Arrington and an unknown male friend, a week after L'Ecuyer was killed, to be "breathtaking in its inhumanity."

During the conversation, the man told Arrington that an acquaintance believed she should get a medal and a parade because she had "taken out" a "tree hugger, a bicyclist, a Frenchman and a gay guy all in one shot."

Arrington laughed. When the man said he knew it was a terrible thing to say, she responded, "No, it's not."

Assistant Public Defender Michael Rosenbluth told the judge his client has never been "cold, callous or flippant" about L'Ecuyer's death and has always felt remorseful.

Arrington said words couldn't express how she feels, and that once she's out of prison, she hopes to share her story with Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

L'Ecuyer, 45, was riding his bike the night of December 1, 2006 when Arrington swerved off the road, hit him and then continued for 800 feet before stopping, according to Deputy Pima County Attorney Jonathan Mosher.

Arrington's blood-alcohol content was .156 percent, nearly double Arizona's .08 legal limit. She had been driving on a suspended license for a prior DUI.

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"You are like the wind and I like the lion. You form the tempest. The sand stings my eyes and the ground is parched. I roar in defiance but you do not hear. But between us there is a difference. I, like the lion, must remain in my place. While you like the wind will never know yours." -- Mulay Hamid El Raisuli, Lord of the Riff, Sultan to the Berbers, Last of the Barbary Pirates

Cycler6n

wow, thats sad. good thing shes behind bars.

__________________
“(Training) doesn't get easier; you just get faster”
-Greg Lemond

Yojimbo_

These types of idiots make me very fearful of riding on the road. To improve my probability of survival, I:

- don't ride at night;
- especially don't ride late when the drinkers are likely to be out;
- try to ride multi-lane roads where possible, where said roads do not have high speed traffic.

Of course, that doesn't help with the old folks, people pre-occupied with other stuff like their cell phones, and drivers who think it's fun to give cyclists a scare.

I'm really glad that driver is going to rot in jail for a long time.

Pendejo

And add to the list, that when riding either early morning or late afternoon, to avoid riding into the sun, which can blind drivers coming up from behind you.

Crankyfeet

I've found multi-lane roads to be the worst... in certain situations. The widths for each lane are less. If you get cars side by side... you're in for a close pass. And I nearly got taken out by an 18 wheeler in the right most lane who passed me about a foot away with his tires on the bike lane margin line.

Bro Deal

I began using those first two a long time ago. I read that more than 60% of bicycle fatalities are either children or occur at night. I survived the first category, no reason to tempt fate with the second. Riding after six or seven at night on Friadays or Satudays is risky, especially if there is a university nearby.

I am not sure about the last one. Where do you have the greatest chance of getting hit: Being a lone cyclist on a low traffic road where the driver may not be expecting a cyclists to be and does not need to pay attention much to the road? Or a high traffic road where the drivers have to keep an eye on the cars ahead of them and they are more used to seeing cyclists? I have been thinking about that question for a while.

__________________
"You are like the wind and I like the lion. You form the tempest. The sand stings my eyes and the ground is parched. I roar in defiance but you do not hear. But between us there is a difference. I, like the lion, must remain in my place. While you like the wind will never know yours." -- Mulay Hamid El Raisuli, Lord of the Riff, Sultan to the Berbers, Last of the Barbary Pirates