UPDATE: Mandeville cyn road raging doctor...

http://cbs2.com/local/Christopher.Thomas.Thompson.2.785755.html

 

hope the guy heads to the slammer for some time, pays for both riders medical bills and time off work... and then serves his community service doing bicycle advocacy and support for local races

 

Innocent until proven guilty????

Not his first offense......

"Dr. Thompson has been the subject of several threats by telephone, by Internet and in person, and I would ask all parties to calm down and lower the heat," Swarth told reporters.

"Everyone is entitled to a presumption of innocence and we expect that this matter will play itself out in court. That is the best forum for the facts to come out."

Thompson had been investigated for a similar crash involving bicyclists earlier this year, although he was never charged, according to the City Attorney's Office.

LAPD Capt. William Eaton told the Los Angeles Times that the physician was involved in a "road rage incident with two cyclists" that had "strong similarities" to the July Fourth crash.

 

I think he should have his Drivers License taken away if not indefinitely then for a long while On top of regular jail time and community service and getting a whooping!

 

I shudder to think how long this trial is going to drag on while this guy is out on bail… Even if he is found guilty I’m sure he’ll appeal. I hope the cyclists involved with have the resolution to follow this thing through to the end (though I’m sure they will).

I also hope no one does anything stupid to this guy to give him any sympathy by the jury.

 

Once the criminal trial ends, the civil trial will begin whereby the 'good' doctor will be relieved of all of his assets. He won't have to worry about driving past cyclists on Mandeville Canyon anymore ;-)

 

I am not familiar with the story so except for the link above so maybe I am missing something, but wouldn't it be the cyclists' fault for following too closely? Not saying the doc is blameless, but from the eyes of the law, I thought that's how it would go.

 

More info right HERE on STR.

 

hmm..... 2 counts of planned vehicular manslaughter?

 

Maybe he'll be riding with them. Boy, karma's a bitch

 

Do you remember that horrible story in NorCal (Sonoma County) a while back where a woman driving on her way home from the grocery store, hit a cyclist in the bike lane?

Anyway, witnesses say she swerved for no obvious reason, hitting the guy on the road bike and sending him up in the air. She then drove on for a few hundred yards before stopping.

She claimed she had no recollection of hitting anyone. The victim, an avid cyclist and honor student about to go to Law School, was left in a permanent vegetative state. While the woman faces a civil action lawsuit, no charges were ever brought for reckless driving. They think she was rummaging around in one of her grocery bags, causing her to swerve suddenly

I think I might have first read about it on STR but I'm not sure...

 

It's part of the problem. Not holding drivers accountable for when they do hit a bicyclist. A lot of times even though they are at fault they'll still leave without being cited. I'm not sure why enforcement is so lax when it comes to auto's hitting bikers???
My cop friends have told me they've been told not to assign blame to let the courts work it out. They don't want to be tied up in court for days on end with no revenue being produced for the city or being allowed to do their jobs.

 

Years ago one of the Upland fire captains I used to work with had his son killed riding Baseline past Campus well within the bike lane in front of the golf course. The woman driving left the scene of the accident. It was devastating for all of us and she somehow got away with the charges. She claimed "ignorance" that she didn't realize she had hit anything. Unbelievable what people can get away with when they're obviously at fault and know it.
Imagine also the Upland engine pulling up on scene knowing it was the dept. Captain's son.

 

These kind of stories are tragic. The worse one I've heard had to be the cop falling asleep and ran over two racers in nothern california. very unsettling.

 

Its sad, you always hear of stuff like this happening. Thats why I try to stay off the road and in the dirt as much as possible.:bang: As for the doctor, I hope he is persecuted to the full extent!

 

The "good doctor" drove up alongside the cyclists, yelled at them, one of the cyclists yelled back, the doctor then passed the cyclists, pulled in front, and slammed on the brakes. This is the second time he's pulled the stunt. The first time nobody was too badly injured.

 

I had a pt that had been hit by a car in HB; when the cops arrived, they told her that they were not allowed to issue a citation to the driver unless they had seen the accident happen. Luckily, in his case, the insurance company stepped in and had his license removed (older gent with several accidents). The guy had turned right, into her and a lightpole.

I also had an incident where an HB cop pulled into the bike lane in front of me, turned on his lights, backed up while traffic was busy along side me, then, when traffic cleared and I was passing him (just at his rear wheel), he shifted into forward and started to pull into me. I yelled, he said "I was trying to let you pass".

If cops are so ignorant of riders and such, how can you expect that they will cite others for the same offense?

On the flip side, what if we started a log with license plate numbers and offenses, so if another serious incident arises we can take it to the DA and prosecute, or have some sort of record for unsafe drivers so others can look out? A bit better than yelling obscenities, though it requires some work/way to record the license plate by the riders.