Advocacy & Safety - 12 years for cyclist death

http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2005/May-17-Tue-2005/news/26533640.html

Prison ordered in DUI death

Henderson bicyclist hit on way to work

By GLENN PUIT
REVIEW-JOURNAL



A drunken driver who killed a bicyclist in Henderson last year was sentenced to up to 12 years in prison Monday.

Nicole Rae Cowans, 30, was driving a Hyundai under the influence of alcohol when the vehicle struck Jessie Marie Hinson, 40, from behind on Green Valley Parkway near Windmill Lane.

Cowans had a prior DUI conviction in 2000.

"I miss her every day," the victim's sister, Virginia Bradshaw, told District Judge Nancy Saitta during a sentencing hearing Monday.

"She (Hinson) was riding her bike to work," Bradshaw said. "She did nothing wrong."

According to authorities, Cowans' blood-alcohol measured 0.18 percent. The legal limit in Nevada is 0.08.

Cowans' attorney, Dean Kajioka, said Hinson's death was a tragedy, and that Cowans was on the verge of graduating from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, at the time. He said on the night in question, she was drinking and studying, then drove home.

"She's extremely remorseful," Kajioka said.

According to court records, Cowans had been arrested in 2000 on drunken driving charges. She was fined $400 and ended up serving two days in jail after entering into a plea deal that did not require a formal admission of guilt.

Authorities said a few days after the fatal accident, Cowans was cited again for driving on a revoked license. She also had a history of driving without insurance as well.

Saitta sentenced Cowans to three to 12 years in prison, which was in line with a recommendation from parole and probation officials.

"We were so angry to hear this was not her first time," Bradshaw said. "She already knew what could happen, but she chose to (drink and drive) anyway. Jessie doesn't get that second chance."

Good, hope she serves all twelve with Big Bulla. :mad:

thats sad. i think after 1 dui your license should be gone forever

thats sad. i think after 1 dui your license should be gone forever

AMEN!!!

Drivers get away with so much nowadays. It usually takes the death of an innocent person to finally start the wheels of justice turning. Very Very sad. I will be thinking of all the deaths and hits I have read over the past few years when I ride in my first "Ride of Silence" tonight here in St. Louis. You can find out more at http://rideofsilence.org

We have really traded the safety of those who choose not to drive for our own ability to get quickly from point A to B.

Peace,

"Drinking and studying"? :eek:

thats sad. i think after 1 dui your license should be gone forever

It says she was cited for driving on a revoked license. People will drive whether they have a license or not. That is because driving is seen as a right and not a privelege in this country.

Yep. Someone hit one of my buddies yesterday (his car anyway, it was parked in a lot). He came up to the lady and discussed the damage (very minor, scratches). He offered to settle without insurance, and the lady told him, "Well, if it's not much, I'll pay, but I can't really afford it, look how much damage I have on my car already!" She had dents on all four corners of her car. "That would be your problem, ma'am." Maybe some people just shouldn't be driving...

"Drinking and studying"? :eek:

Oh ya, it works great! As long as you're drunk when you write the exam. ;0

that shoulda been more like life in prison... why can you murder someone drunk and get a slap on the wrist but when you do it in a robbery or something you get life?

i mean, in either situation the murder was intentional... she intentionally shot the person.. she intentionally got drunk and started driving not giving a damn about anyone elses life...

sounds like the robber/murderer and the drunkard are of the same make to me.

But was she driving an SUV?

Oh ya, it works great! As long as you're drunk when you write the exam. ;0

You know you actually think better if you drink before goign to an exam. Try it.

I have worked a lot over seas. They don’t take drink driving (as they say in Ireland) lightly. We in the US could learn a lot from them on this topic. They keep it real simple. If you drink don’t even think about driving. The culture is to take a taxi or public transport to and from the bar. Even in rural Ireland, I could get a taxi without any problem and it was cheap. Also a designated driver was normal.

The US is so depended on having to use a private car to get anywhere, with no option for public transport. Also our taxi rates are huge by comparison to Europe. As a society we don’t make it easy to get around and we don’t promote safe drinking. In privet homes in Europe I have seen all ages having some wine and beer with meals and after. I asked about this and got some very interesting responses.

To paraphrase the conversations:

“You Americans drink to get drunk and some of us do also. We don’t respect that form of drinking. It is important to teach our children many things. One is that wine and beer are about taste not about getting stupid. A drink here costs much more than in the US and we do that because if it is cheap you don’t think about how much you drink and you don’t learn to enjoy it. Food should be cheap as you need that to live. Alcohol, is to be enjoyed and respected and fine things are worth paying for and savoring. You would not eat six deserts in one night would you? Why would someone have six drinks in a night. But we know we all can be weak at times, if we are, we must be smart and not endanger others. We also are responsible to get our friends home safely. So we have a driver for the night or we use public transport.”

Well you get the jest…

I love my dark beers and wine and a Scotch. But when back in the US I invite friends over and use the three guess rooms if my friends are a little weak…so to say… friends are few and far between… I don’t want have to find new ones.

Cheers,
Dusk

That is because driving is seen as a right and not a privelege in this country.

Exactly, and that's the heart of the problem. Instead of it being too easy to get a license and too hard to lose it, we need to turn it around. That, and having options for people who don't, by choice or judicial decree, drive. Public transportation is a joke in this country. I know several people from Europe in their late 30's who have never wanted or needed to drive a car, lucky dogs.

"She's extremely remorseful," Kajioka said.

Based on the rest of the story, I think her remorse is for getting caught. She obviously had no respect for the law or the safety of others beforehand.
I have absolutely no tolerance for drunk drivers.

In South Australia a Lawyer who should have known better for being drunk at the wheel and then killed an cyclist got an slap on the wrist with just a fine and lost of licence.

And some people on the bench are a strange lot they say to the people who up before them you a bad person and then they turn around and give this person a slap on the wrist like the above.