Charges reduced for driver who hit VT horses

[SharonA]

Ugh.

Edited to add that I agree with the others that it’s a reasonable outcome for the driver. The “ugh” was just that it wasa sad situation all around and is one of my greatest fears for people in the community who are in transitional stages of health, aging, etc. and are struggling with this. Of course I don’t want to see the guy thrown in jail when he’s on hospice care as it is; it was more that I worry about people aging/being ill without supportive resources around them to, for instance, do the driving, and then tragedies affecting others happen. I just see so much of it, that it can be disheartening.

http://www.thevermontstandard.com/2013/09/charges-reduced-for-driver-in-fatal-horse-accident/

[flyracing]

It’s very very sad that the accident happened. However, the charges seem appropriate given the very tiny amount of information we have. It doesn’t sound like a malicious horse killer to me, but someone’s older and confused dieing grandfather (who, we all know now should not have been driving), who hit a horse walking in the lane of traffic. I personally would like to see him held responsible for paying the rider for the value of the lost horse (I know He can’t be replaced, but money for a new horse would help make things as right as is possible. I see no benefit to ANYONE if he died in jail instead of at home with his loving family. Sometimes the best thing to do is give some grace when there is an accident.

[Kyzteke]

[QUOTE=flyracing;7181407]
It’s very very sad that the accident happened. However, the charges seem appropriate given the very tiny amount of information we have. It doesn’t sound like a malicious horse killer to me, but someone’s older and confused dieing grandfather (who, we all know now should not have been driving), who hit a horse walking in the lane of traffic. I personally would like to see him held responsible for paying the rider for the value of the lost horse (I know He can’t be replaced, but money for a new horse would help make things as right as is possible. I see no benefit to ANYONE if he died in jail instead of at home with his loving family. Sometimes the best thing to do is give some grace when there is an accident.[/QUOTE]

What a lovely, compassionate response! If the court does not award some form of monetary damage for the loss of the horse, I assume the rider can take it to a civil court to ask for same, because that would be fair.

I agree with this poster – nothing would be gained by locking the old man up…so sorry for all concerned…

[merrygoround]

[QUOTE=Kyzteke;7181422]
What a lovely, compassionate response! If the court does not award some form of monetary damage for the loss of the horse, I assume the rider can take it to a civil court to ask for same, because that would be fair.

I agree with this poster – nothing would be gained by locking the old man up…so sorry for all concerned…[/QUOTE]

I agree with this!!

[LauraKY]

That could have been my father. Luckily he never killed anyway, but after his last accident, which resulted in a TBI for my mother, he never drove again. She never regained full mental function.

We tried to stop him from driving (I even had it revoked for a short time)…up until the accident and he attempted several times afterward to have his license reinstated.