[KitRittyTug]

Even wider roads can be crossed without a problem when you have something called eyes and legs. Of course, when you have a main road that is really full you should rather use the crossway. BUT, in that case the cars are driving so slow anyway, that you can cross between them waiting for the green light.

It really isnt a big deal. I wouldnt do it with small children unless I pick em up and carry them over to the other side of course.

[repldoinfo]

Even wider roads can be crossed without a problem when you have something called eyes and legs. Of course, when you have a main road that is really full you should rather use the crossway. BUT, in that case the cars are driving so slow anyway, that you can cross between them waiting for the green light.

It really isnt a big deal. I wouldnt do it with small children unless I pick em up and carry them over to the other side of course.

What if the road is busy enough to have practically non-stop traffic, but not so busy that the traffic is crawling along?

[mtautomoscow]

What if the road is busy enough to have practically non-stop traffic, but not so busy that the traffic is crawling along?

Then you find a ****ing crosswalk or find a pine box for your kids.

[repldoinfo]

Then you find a ****ing crosswalk or find a pine box for your kids.

I'm not sure why you felt the need to swear at me, or what your post has to do with what I was discussing with Streifenkarl.

[avarberickibe]

I'm not sure why you felt the need to swear at me, or what your post has to do with what I was discussing with Streifenkarl.

Some people are born with the ability to effectively judge the situation. Nothing is ever black and white. I would always use a designated crossing point (lowered path, zebra crossing, traffic lights) if I was with my GF's kid or any other.

[MadMark]

How many of you would walk 3 tenths of a mile to a crosswalk at night in a supposedly rough neighborhood? After getting to the crosswalk and back, that's over half a mile of walking with kids at night. She deserves some punishment IMO, but not jail/prison time. Unless we are missing some of the story here (like she pushed her kid in front of the car), this is an absolutely absurd punishment for her.

[avarberickibe]

How many of you would walk 3 tenths of a mile to a crosswalk at night in a supposedly rough neighborhood? After getting to the crosswalk and back, that's over half a mile of walking with kids at night. She deserves some punishment IMO, but not jail/prison time. Unless we are missing some of the story here (like she pushed her kid in front of the car), this is an absolutely absurd punishment for her.

Reckless endangerment?

[QqJamxqP]

How many of you would walk 3 tenths of a mile to a crosswalk at night in a supposedly rough neighborhood? After getting to the crosswalk and back, that's over half a mile of walking with kids at night. She deserves some punishment IMO, but not jail/prison time. Unless we are missing some of the story here (like she pushed her kid in front of the car), this is an absolutely absurd punishment for her.

I agree it seems extreme to punish her further after she's already had a child die, but she was in the wrong, for the sake of a 10-15 minute walk.

[MadMark]

Reckless endangerment?

[rolleyes] Seriously? Everything is reckless endangerment if something bad results from it. She left the house that day with her kids. If she wouldn't have left the house her child would be alive to day. Maybe the courts should tack on a few more years.

I agree it seems extreme to punish her further after she's already had a child die, but she was in the wrong, for the sake of a 10-15 minute walk.

Ever walk half a mile with kids? 100ft or half a mile...If the child wouldn't have gotten hit and killed, would anyone have called anything she did reckless? Pretty sure crossing the street is normal even without a crosswalk. This mother shouldn't be in the news at all, other than crying on camera. The public should be crying out for the driver's blood. (That's usually how it works in America.)

[QqJamxqP]

[rolleyes]
Ever walk half a mile with kids? 100ft or half a mile...If the child wouldn't have gotten hit and killed, would anyone have called anything she did reckless? Pretty sure crossing the street is normal even without a crosswalk. This mother shouldn't be in the news at all, other than crying on camera. The public should be crying out for the driver's blood. (That's usually how it works in America.)

Yes I've walked half a mile with kids. It's no so tricky, then again I didn't lead them out onto a busy road.

If no one died, no one would have called it anything. But it's still reckless if the chance of being hit was high enough.

[MadMark]

Yes I've walked half a mile with kids. It's no so tricky, then again I didn't lead them out onto a busy road.

If no one died, no one would have called it anything. But it's still reckless if the chance of being hit was high enough.

You can get hit by a drunk driver on the sidewalk or in a crosswalk as well. She was dumb, shouldn't have been jaywalking at night with her kids, but do you think she deserves prison time for that?

[QqJamxqP]

You can get hit by a drunk driver on the sidewalk or in a crosswalk as well. She was dumb, shouldn't have been jaywalking at night with her kids, but do you think she deserves prison time for that?

No I agree, I don't think she does deserves it, as she's lost her child. Had it been someone else's child she led into the road, then yes she would deserve it.

[KitRittyTug]

What if the road is busy enough to have practically non-stop traffic, but not so busy that the traffic is crawling along?

Just like others said, its about judgement and common sense. If I encounter your scenario I'll think about it for a split second and then either cross the road or find a cross walk.

What I'm trying to say is, its not even worth talking about. And I cant believe I spend so much time with this. The mom made an error in her judgement. J walking didnt have anything to do with it. The next day she could have met this drunk guy at a cross walk or her child could have fell down the ferris wheel at six flags.

Sometimes you just lose. It sucks, but its the way it is.

[didrexx]

It was her fault and she deserves to do time. The ******* who killed the kid deserves the same.. I don't know how many idiots like her I've had to stop for in the middle of the road because they think they have the right of way on foot. After all they are intitled to it right? To do what ever they please. I bet she is more distraught about not being able to sue the guy for millions because she was at fault for j-walking than for losing her child.. After all,she did just loose one of her welfare chits..

3 years for Jay Walking? Honestly, the case is way out of proportion. The driver is at fault. He was under the influence, had been before. He deserves to have is license removed permanently plus some jail time.

The mother is not at fault. He would have hit her regardless of her crossing at a crosswalk, or jay walking. The driver was not in a safe state of mind to be driving, slowed reactions, impaired judgment as well.

[didrexx]

In my experience, pretty much all of the roads in the US are like this (apart from rural areas obviously).

That is an excessively large intersection. Larger than normal. Chicago only has a few intersections that large.

Most chicago streets are 2 lanes with a parking lane on each side. Effectively 4 lanes wide, but only 2 lanes are actual traffic.

[lookanddiscover]

That is an excessively large intersection. Larger than normal. Chicago only has a few intersections that large.

Most chicago streets are 2 lanes with a parking lane on each side. Effectively 4 lanes wide, but only 2 lanes are actual traffic.

Most US cities don't have streets like that. One city I would never jaywalk in is Rome. Those people fly down streets one car wide with people on either side.

[Storwaytozy]

Well Jaywalking doesn't exactly deserve a death sentence, so it is pretty clear that the driver is at-fault in this situation.

I wonder if the definition of jay walking differs from country to country.

in Australia, jay walking is walking across the road within 20m of a crossing, anywhere else and it's legal to cross the road without a crossing.

However also in Australia pedestrians have right of way on the road no matter what they are doing whether it's legal or not. So unless the pedestrian jumped in front of a moving car and the driver is unable to stop in time the driver is ALWAYS at fault.

I feel sorry for the loss, but why can't people wait 1-2 minutes for the lights to go green? Or does it take much longer over there?

[didrexx]

I wonder if the definition of jay walking differs from country to country.

in Australia, jay walking is walking across the road within 20m of a crossing, anywhere else and it's legal to cross the road without a crossing.

However also in Australia pedestrians have right of way on the road no matter what they are doing whether it's legal or not. So unless the pedestrian jumped in front of a moving car and the driver is unable to stop in time the driver is ALWAYS at fault.

I feel sorry for the loss, but why can't people wait 1-2 minutes for the lights to go green? Or does it take much longer over there?

According to the article she was 3/10ths of a mile from the nearest crosswalk. And the driver dropped her off direction in front of her house, just on the opposite side of the road.

Its dark, you have your children with you. They may be antsy, cranky, or tired. You have a choice o walking 3/10ths of a mile to the intersection, waiting for the light, then walking 3/10ths of a mile back for a total slightly over half a mile. Or simply crossing the street. Remember, she has her children with her, and children can't walk as fast as an adult. I think most people in chicago, as well as most people in the suburbs would simply cross the street right there. I would, my sister would. And my Mother has done it.

In Illinois Pedestrians always have the right of way except where prohibited from walking. City streets aren't one of those prohibited areas.


The driver of the vehicle wasn't in a safe state of mind to be driving. He was under the influence. Maybe not drunk, but he admitted to drinking. The article does not mention the blood alcohol content.

[ultimda horaf]

According to the article she was 3/10ths of a mile from the nearest crosswalk. And the driver dropped her off direction in front of her house, just on the opposite side of the road.

Its dark, you have your children with you. They may be antsy, cranky, or tired. You have a choice o walking 3/10ths of a mile to the intersection, waiting for the light, then walking 3/10ths of a mile back for a total slightly over half a mile. Or simply crossing the street. Remember, she has her children with her, and children can't walk as fast as an adult. I think most people in chicago, as well as most people in the suburbs would simply cross the street right there. I would, my sister would. And my Mother has done it.

In Illinois Pedestrians always have the right of way except where prohibited from walking. City streets aren't one of those prohibited areas.


The driver of the vehicle wasn't in a safe state of mind to be driving. He was under the influence. Maybe not drunk, but he admitted to drinking. The article does not mention the blood alcohol content.

Fair points, but if it was dark she should have seen oncoming traffic easily by their headlights. So it sounds like she wasn't paying much attention either.

[repldoinfo]

When the Cobb County Transit bus finally stopped directly across from Somerpoint Apartments, night had fallen. She and the children crossed two lanes and waited with other passengers on the raised median for a break in traffic. The nearest crosswalks were three-tenths of a mile in either direction, and Nelson wanted to get her children inside as soon as possible. A.J. carried a plastic bag holding a goldfish they'd purchased.
"One girl ran across the street," Nelson said. "For some odd reason, I guess he saw the girl and decided to run out behind her. I said, 'Stop, A.J.,' and he was in the middle of the street so I said keep going. That's when we all got hit." filler