Current Events...Mom convicted of jaywalking...

SemperAnticus1643

A Marietta, Ga., mom who was convicted of jaywalking after her 4-year-old son was run over and killed in a hit-and-run said on the Today Show that the worst part of going to jail would be the separation from her two remaining kids.

Raquel Nelson was convicted of homicide by vehicle and reckless conduct by a jury and faces sentencing tomorrow. She can receive up to a three-year jail sentence, six times the stretch that Jerry Guy--who admitted to drinking before running over Nelson's son, A.J.--served.

"I think to come after me so much harder than they did him is a slap in the face because this will never end for me," she said. "It's three years away from the two that I have left."


Nelson also said that the jury had "never been in my shoes," because each of them answered that they had never taken public transportation before. Nelson, who doesn't have a car, was three-tenths of a mile away from the nearest crosswalk when her bus dropped her off at the stop across the street from her apartment with her three children. She decided to cross with her kids rather than remain outside any later at night, she said. (You can read more about her case here.)

"We are just hoping as a family that [the judge] is compassionate and lets my niece remain with her other children," Nelson's aunt Loretta Williams said. Nearly 75,000 have signed an online petition in support of Nelson.



What is your opinion on the situation?

Grimmerick

with only reading what you wrote, she should get community service with some classes about safety, but no jail time, the guilt of your childs death because of something you did or didn't do has to be one of the harshest punishments I can think of...............unless you're Casey Anthony.

OneBryteSmile

I thought it was really sad. She lost a child and will now be away from her other two children because of jaywalking while Caycee Anthony walks around a free woman.

Goal4Good

When I heard about this my first thought was "And Casey Anthony walks free"!!?!! Does the justice system not understand that this woman has already paid the ultimate price!?!? Makes me sick.

I'm thinking PARDON by the Governor! Sometimes things are just too stupid for words........

SemperAnticus1643

with only reading what you wrote, she should get community service with some classes about safety, but no jail time, the guilt of your childs death because of something you did or didn't do has to be one of the harshest punishments I can think of...............unless you're Casey Anthony.

What was written was actually an article from Yahoo! news. Maybe I should cite that?? lol Otherwise, I'll flunk English Comp 1.

chanstriste13

are they crazy? she shouldn't be going to jail for this. her guilt will be jail enough. the drunk behind the wheel was at fault - he should be locked up and made to swallow the key.

Lindsayrob

This sounds like madness! How will going to jail teach her any more of a lesson than seeing her child die? She will live with that guilt for the rest of her life. And who will benefit from this sentence? Certainly not her children, who have now lost a brother and a mother.
And then there is the cost of locking this woman up and finding alternative care for her other two children.
The sentence may only be three years but I am sure the repercussions for this woman and her family will extend way beyond that.

UPDATE: Just read she got probation - common sense prevails!
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/07/26/georgia.mother.sentencing/

SemperAnticus1643

This sounds like madness! How will going to jail teach her any more of a lesson than seeing her child die? She will live with that guilt for the rest of her life. And who will benefit from this sentence? Certainly not her children, who have now lost a brother and a mother.
And then there is the cost of locking this woman up and finding alternative care for her other two children.
The sentence may only be three years but I am sure the repercussions for this woman and her family will extend way beyond that.

UPDATE: Just read she got probation - common sense prevails!
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/07/26/georgia.mother.sentencing/

Good! That's the least they could do. I'm wondering if she had a lawyer. And forgive me for throwing the card out there but do you think the same would have happened if it were a caucasian child that got hit?

mommared53

I depend on public transportation too and am just as guilty of jaywalking, especially when it's very hot or very cold outside. I'm not saying it's right but just saying I do it. Unfortunately there are too many drivers that are either careless about pedestrians (even when we have the right of way) or that will actually speed up when they see a pedestrian crossing the middle of the street. Personally I would love for the jurors to have to depend only on public transportation for one month and maybe they would have a little more compassion for the mother crossing in the middle of the street with a young child.

OneBryteSmile

Good! That's the least they could do. I'm wondering if she had a lawyer. And forgive me for throwing the card out there but do you think the same would have happened if it were a caucasian child that got hit?

I'm not even going to touch this. :happy:

dragonbait0126

here's my thing...the crosswalk was 3/10 of a mile away. but would it really have made a difference if she was in the cross walk? I highly doubt it. The driver was drunk, he wouldn't have seen them and if fate had it in the cards then it was in the cards no matter where they crossed the street at. I'm glad she is only getting probation. There is no harsher punishment in the world than the loss of a loved one, especially a child.

UPDATE: This article states she was sentenced to 1 year probation and 40 hours of community service but was given the option of a new trial and her lawyer is saying they are going for a new trial instead of accepting the probation. Sweetie, why are you risking your chances? I wonder if it's only to avoid having a conviction on her record.
http://www.11alive.com/news/article/198885/3/Jaywalking-mom-picks-new-trial-over-probation

zookeepersuzy

here's my thing...the crosswalk was 3/10 of a mile away. but would it really have made a difference if she was in the cross walk? I highly doubt it. The driver was drunk, he wouldn't have seen them and if fate had it in the cards then it was in the cards no matter where they crossed the street at. I'm glad she is only getting probation. There is no harsher punishment in the world than the loss of a loved one, especially a child.

I wasn't going to reply to this thread, but it's been nagging at me.

It might not have made any difference if she was in the crosswalk or not. It might not have made any difference if the driver was sober either. I think most drivers would have a hard time avoiding a child that darts out into their lane on a busy highway if they are going 45+. I don't think she should have been charged with vehicular homocide, but I do think that charging her with jaywalking and child endangerment (of all three children) would be appropriate. She did have an attorney, and I think the atty failed to get her a jury of her peers, but that might also be a problem with the jury pool demographics for that county.

The city planners should be looking closely at crosswalk and bus stop placement. I know that several busy roads in ATL where jaywalking is a big problem are having "refugee islands", additional crosswalks, and lighting to warn motorists installed. No matter how many crosswalks/lights/islands are available there will always be jaywalkers and they need to take care to make sure they are safe, especially if they are responsible for a child.

dragonbait0126

I wasn't going to reply to this thread, but it's been nagging at me.

It might not have made any difference if she was in the crosswalk or not. It might not have made any difference if the driver was sober either. I think most drivers would have a hard time avoiding a child that darts out into their lane on a busy highway if they are going 45+. I don't think she should have been charged with vehicular homocide, but I do think that charging her with jaywalking and child endangerment (of all three children) would be appropriate. She did have an attorney, and I think the atty failed to get her a jury of her peers, but that might also be a problem with the jury pool demographics for that county.

The city planners should be looking closely at crosswalk and bus stop placement. I know that several busy roads in ATL where jaywalking is a big problem are having "refugee islands", additional crosswalks, and lighting to warn motorists installed. No matter how many crosswalks/lights/islands are available there will always be jaywalkers and they need to take care to make sure they are safe, especially if they are responsible for a child.

Agreed and I was certainly not trying to justify the fact that she jaywalked. That being said, it doesn't mean that I don't understand it as well. I don't condone her actions but I do understand them. We've all had times where we didn't feel safe or comfortable and just wanted to get home as she was trying to do. The city should look at the area and determine if a crosswalk could be placed closer to the apartment building. I do not agree with the drunk driver being able to get a plea bargan especially since this was a hit and run, his friend is the one who turned him in, and it was not his first offense but the mom gets the harsher charge and taken to trial. I don't understand her going for a new trial instead of accepting the probation either.

SemperAnticus1643

I wasn't going to reply to this thread, but it's been nagging at me.

It might not have made any difference if she was in the crosswalk or not. It might not have made any difference if the driver was sober either. I think most drivers would have a hard time avoiding a child that darts out into their lane on a busy highway if they are going 45+. I don't think she should have been charged with vehicular homocide, but I do think that charging her with jaywalking and child endangerment (of all three children) would be appropriate. She did have an attorney, and I think the atty failed to get her a jury of her peers, but that might also be a problem with the jury pool demographics for that county.

The city planners should be looking closely at crosswalk and bus stop placement. I know that several busy roads in ATL where jaywalking is a big problem are having "refugee islands", additional crosswalks, and lighting to warn motorists installed. No matter how many crosswalks/lights/islands are available there will always be jaywalkers and they need to take care to make sure they are safe, especially if they are responsible for a child.

Agreed and I was certainly not trying to justify the fact that she jaywalked. That being said, it doesn't mean that I don't understand it as well. I don't condone her actions but I do understand them. We've all had times where we didn't feel safe or comfortable and just wanted to get home as she was trying to do. The city should look at the area and determine if a crosswalk could be placed closer to the apartment building. I do not agree with the drunk driver being able to get a plea bargan especially since this was a hit and run, his friend is the one who turned him in, and it was not his first offense but the mom gets the harsher charge and taken to trial. I don't understand her going for a new trial instead of accepting the probation either.

The driver was CONVICTED of 2 prior hit and runs!

zookeepersuzy

I do not agree with the drunk driver being able to get a plea bargan especially since this was a hit and run, his friend is the one who turned him in, and it was not his first offense but the mom gets the harsher charge and taken to trial. I don't understand her going for a new trial instead of accepting the probation either.

Yea.. I didn't even want to get into it about the driver. Drunk drivers make me so angry and I think that what he did was absolutly unforgiveable. He did actually spend some time in jail though (6 months maybe?) and the mom did not have to go to jail. I think he should be required to lose his license forever and perform community service for some kind of trauma center so he can see first hand what he caused. I wonder if the mom could file a civil suit against him and get damages from him. I don't know if he would be covered by an insurance company if he was already driving on a suspended license though.

I think she's stupid for requesting a new trial, but her case has been picked up by the NAACP so she might have a lot of pressure on her from those people to try again.