A Jackson County, Mo., jury deliberated for five hours before finding William K. Johnson not guilty of two counts of involuntary manslaughter in the deaths of cyclists Larry Gaunt, 59, and Larry's grandaughter, Sierra Gaunt, 14, the Kansas City Star reported in today's editions.
On Aug. 6, Larry Gaunt was helping Sierra prepare for an MS-150 bike ride, a long-distance ride that benefits victims of multiple sclerosis. The two were cycling on Raytown Road nearing Harry Truman Drive when Johnsons blue 1985 Chevrolet pickup slammed into their bikes, throwing them to the pavement. Larry Gaunt died at the scene. Sierra died at a hospital.
According to the Star's story, prosecutors considered Johnson's action reckless enough to be considered at tim. They pointed to police calculations that determined that Johnson was going at least 54 mph in a 45 mph zone. They called witnesses who testified that the road was flat, straight and dry. They continually went back to evidence that showed the left lane next to Johnson was completely clear.
A portion of the Star's account is particularly interesting:Thats what baffled assistant prosecutor Traci Stansell. When Johnson took the witness stand Wednesday, he said he often drove that stretch of road. He knew cyclists frequented it, he said.Greer questioned much of the states evidence, especially calculations by police that determined Johnson was speeding. During closing arguments, the Star reported, he said the state took wrong measurements and failed to consider the trucks weight when computing its minimum speed.
He was 960 feet more than three football fields away from the Gaunts when he first saw them. And more than 12 seconds passed before he caught up to them. Yet Johnson, a handyman who was taking his son to football practice, agreed that he never moved into the open left lane and never slowed down until slamming on his brakes right before the impact.
Just because Johnson did not move over, that did not make him a criminal, defense attorney Brian Greer argued.
There is no law requiring operators of motor vehicles to switch lanes of a roadway when there is a vehicle on the shoulder except when that vehicle is law enforcement, he told jurors.
The jury forewoman told the Star that deliberations were divided at times, and that jurors discussed a lesser charge, but came to the unanimous decision on acquittal. When asked what they relied on to reach that decision, she said: The evidence that we had.
The Star's story has generated 11 pages of comments as of noon. Most are supportive of the Gaunts, but there are some anti-bike comments thrown in the mix.
The KCBike.Info blog had this to say about the verdict: "Many people will be shocked and upset at the verdict, but its important to remember that this case was brought to justice. Unlike most cases in this area, this particular motorist was actually charged with a felony and went to trial. Regardless of the outcome, just the fact that it went to trial is huge step forward for traffic justice in Kansas City."
This afternoon, the Missouri Bicycle Federation made a statement about the verdict on its Web site. It contains interesting comments from Ken Cobb, a lawyer and avid bicyclist who is active in the Johnson County (Kan.) Bicycle Club, including this one: "We don't know if any cyclists were on the jury. We also know that a certain percentage of people don't think that cyclists should be on streets in the first place, which may have been a factor in the jury room, too."
In an earlier post on the St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation's message board, MoBikeFed Executive Director Brent Hugh said: " I know many of you have been following this case. The verdict shows how far we have to go in Missouri to have a justice system that can address this type of issue."
Here's links to TV coverage of the verdict:Labels: advocacy, fatal accidents, Kansas City, Missouri, safety
Roger 2 comments links to this post 12:20 PM![]()
Find out about the latest cycling news here!
Bicycle racing feeds
» Readers write about helmet-less pros, knee injuries and more
11/21/08 23:12 from The Journal of Competitive Cycling -
» Floyd Landis will ride for OUCH, a re-vamped team formerly known as Health Net-Maxxis.
11/21/08 22:25 from The Journal of Competitive Cycling -
» First Endurance EFS
11/21/08 21:25 from The Journal of Competitive Cycling -
» The Coach(ed) Corner: Donât be that guy
11/21/08 19:21 from The Journal of Competitive Cycling -
» Fred Dreier's final report from La Ruta 2008
11/21/08 17:08 from The Journal of Competitive Cycling -
» Piepoli 'B' samples positive
11/21/08 16:53 from Yahoo! Sport - Cycling
» Barloworld focuses on youth
11/21/08 15:58 from The Journal of Competitive Cycling -
» Leonardo Piepoli's B-sample from the Tour comes back positive for CERA EPO.
11/21/08 14:14 from The Journal of Competitive Cycling -
» Rock Racing hires Rudy Pevenage
11/21/08 13:42 from The Journal of Competitive Cycling -
» Valverde to focus on Tour in 2009
11/21/08 12:50 from The Journal of Competitive Cycling -
» Aussie pursuit team scores World Cup win
11/21/08 12:26 from The Journal of Competitive Cycling -
» City council to decide fate of local Tour of Missouri bid - Hannibal.net
11/21/08 12:07 from Tour of Missouri - Google News
» Armitstead crash hits GB chances
11/21/08 10:48 from BBC Sport | Other Sports | Cycling | World Edition
» Armstrong to face Hincapie Down Under
11/21/08 07:58 from Yahoo! Sport - Cycling
» A visit to the sports clinic delivers answers to a wounded rider itching to get back on his bike.
11/21/08 05:02 from The Journal of Competitive Cycling -
» Farrar's at camp, but his thoughts are with his hospitalized father - VeloNews
11/20/08 22:59 from Tour of Missouri - Google News
» UCI Track World Cup season continues in Melbourne
11/20/08 22:57 from USA Cycling News Headlines
» Farrar's at camp, but his thoughts are with his hospitalized father
11/20/08 22:50 from The Journal of Competitive Cycling -
» Garmin-Chipotle riders make suggestions for GPS improvements
11/20/08 21:55 from The Journal of Competitive Cycling -
» Defending champ Greipel back for more at '09 Tour Down Under
11/20/08 20:55 from The Journal of Competitive Cycling -
» Three-time Olympian, 61, still cycling, coaching - San Diego Union Tribune
11/21/08 19:22 from Lance Armstrong - Google News
» Angelo Zomegnan is happy about Armstrong coming to his race - Cyclingnews.com
11/21/08 12:24 from Lance Armstrong - Google News
» Sports Briefing | Cycling Armstrong vs. Hincapie - New York Times
11/21/08 09:29 from Lance Armstrong - Google News
» England manager Fabio Capello uses 'the look' to pep up his players - Telegraph.co.uk
11/21/08 07:49 from Lance Armstrong - Google News
» Try the NEW ESPN Search: - ESPN
11/21/08 02:18 from Lance Armstrong - Google News
» Lance Armstrong afraid French fans might attack - Los Angeles Times
11/21/08 00:21 from Lance Armstrong - Google News
» Miami Mayor Manny Diaz Named One of America's Best Leaders of 2008 - MarketWatch
11/20/08 21:08 from Lance Armstrong - Google News
» US News Names Diaz as One of America's Best Leaders - Miami New Times
11/20/08 19:38 from Lance Armstrong - Google News
» Lance Armstrong Named One of America's Best Leaders by US News ... - MarketWatch
11/20/08 18:49 from Lance Armstrong - Google News
» US News Media Group and Harvard's Center for Public Leadership ... - MarketWatch
11/20/08 17:45 from Lance Armstrong - Google News
» Biking adds to a healthy lifestyle, subtracts from costly commute
11/21/08 19:53 from C.I.C.L.E. ::
» The Sweetener in the Bailout
11/21/08 19:51 from C.I.C.L.E. ::
» Columbia Mayor Hindman works to improve intersection safety for walking & bicycling
11/21/08 18:20 from BicycleNews-MoBikeFed
» Kansas City approves Citywide Trails Plan
11/21/08 18:15 from BicycleNews-MoBikeFed
» Special Transportation Committee Meeting Tomorrow
11/20/08 23:45 from C.I.C.L.E. ::
» Trek introduces chainless bicycles
11/20/08 20:01 from C.I.C.L.E. ::
» Social networking, bicycle commuter style
11/20/08 19:58 from C.I.C.L.E. ::
» Put People on Paseo FAQ
11/20/08 18:33 from BicycleNews-MoBikeFed
» Bicycling on interstate freeway bridges--yup, it does work
11/20/08 18:20 from BicycleNews-MoBikeFed
» Put People on Paseo Campaign in Kansas City Star; Boneheaded MoDOT comments drive me to pledge another $1000
11/19/08 04:00 from BicycleNews-MoBikeFed
» Family of Robert Osborn displeased with sentence in murder
11/19/08 03:22 from BicycleNews-MoBikeFed
» Fatal rear-end collision with bicyclist results in traffic tickets only
11/19/08 03:14 from BicycleNews-MoBikeFed
» My sister tried to kill me on a bike ride
11/18/08 19:39 from C.I.C.L.E. ::
» Murderer of bicyclist Robert Osborn sentenced to 15 years
11/17/08 22:54 from BicycleNews-MoBikeFed
» Choosing a Bicycle
11/17/08 22:22 from C.I.C.L.E. ::
» Holiday greeting cards for cyclists
11/21/08 16:48 from Cyclelicious
» To stud or not to stud
11/20/08 21:10 from Cyclelicious
» Sinyard: Specialized could buy GM, but won't
11/20/08 21:10 from Cyclelicious
» Fixed and broken
11/20/08 12:00 from Cyclelicious
» Guitar Hero + Bicycle Mashup
11/19/08 23:55 from Cyclelicious
» Trek belt drive bicycle on CNN
11/19/08 20:37 from Cyclelicious
» What Measure B means for South Bay transit?
11/19/08 13:00 from Cyclelicious
» Cyclelicious for mobile devices
11/19/08 09:00 from Cyclelicious
» Boris Johnson rides his bike
11/18/08 22:45 from Cyclelicious
» It slices it dices it...
11/18/08 18:32 from Cyclelicious
» Let's Get Visible
11/18/08 17:19 from Cyclelicious
» Happy Monday
11/17/08 18:45 from Cyclelicious
» Important automotive recall
11/16/08 04:04 from Cyclelicious
» Gun racks for bicycles
11/14/08 19:55 from Cyclelicious
» New Specialized Concept Store to open in Palos Verdes
11/14/08 18:03 from The Cycling Dude
» Sidetracked
11/22/08 02:06 from Up in Alaska
» Bad joke time....
11/21/08 16:48 from Bike riding donut guy
» I'm famous!
11/20/08 19:01 from Up in Alaska
» Guidelines for Cats
11/20/08 16:15 from Bike riding donut guy
» Quit already, would ya.......
11/20/08 11:19 from Bike riding donut guy
» Bookkeeping
11/19/08 07:13 from Up in Alaska
» Notes
11/18/08 03:02 from Dan On Bike
» I'm right at that point........
11/17/08 18:10 from Bike riding donut guy
» Did you ever wonder................
11/17/08 10:26 from Bike riding donut guy
» First tracks
11/17/08 05:46 from Up in Alaska
» Mmmmm Mountain Dew.....
11/16/08 11:15 from Bike riding donut guy
» Cold November rain
11/16/08 06:00 from Up in Alaska
» November is lovely
11/15/08 00:29 from Up in Alaska
» Sorry if I offended anyone.........
11/14/08 10:17 from Bike riding donut guy
» Cranksgiving 2008
11/13/08 15:11 from Bike riding donut guy
Cycling blogs
Other blogs of note
Archives