“It is incomprehensible that (Gail) Alef's life … should be worth only 15 to 20 months in the eyes of our state.”
That's not me talking. That's the outraged judge quoted in the Seattle Times after sentencing a man to the maximum in a vehicular homicide case.
The 59-year-old man admitted he had consumed alcohol, taken anti-depressants, and smoked marijuana the night before he swerved across a Redmond, Washington, road in 2005 and hit bicyclist Gail Alef (above), who later died.
The man, Steven Edward Reidel, took off running. When police arrested him several blocks later, he had taken off his pants.
The max
On Friday, he got the maximum sentence for vehicular homicide and a misdemeanor charge of reckless endangerment — 20 months. With credit for time served — much of it at home under an electronic home monitoring system — he could be out in two weeks.
Reidel, who had been suffering depression, admitted to the substance abuse. “I had been up all night and was tired and still drove and was having trouble controlling my car.” He said he was sorry.
Judge Julie Spector says in the Times that she received many letters about Alef, a Bellevue dentist who was riding on Willows Road when she was hit, but the maximum sentences are set by the legislature.
No outrage
Alef's husband, Allan, said it's tragic that such accidents and deaths have become commonplace. “This is happening all over the place and there's no outrage about it.”
The light sentences handed out to motorists involved in collisions with cyclists is a national disgrace.
Just last week, an Illinois woman who struck and killed a cyclist while downloading ringtones for her cellphone was sentenced to 6 months probation, a $1,000 fine and traffic school (Playing on the cellphone; another light sentence in cycling death).
Last spring, a Colorado teen received 9 days in jail, 4 years probation and 300 hours of community service after pleaded guilty to checking a text message as he rear-ended a cyclist at the side of the road.
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