Commuting - SUV driver terminates teens

In a nice twist, driver smokes cigs while victims squirm in pain. Gee whiz, I think I've met her type before . . .

link (http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/nation/story/6D0BB241CB918CDF86256F63001D2C25?OpenDocument&Headline=Woman+runs+down+two+boys+after+ball+hits+SUV,+deputy+says&highlight=2%2Csuv)

this is why we need publicly shown cane-ing for violent crimes. even a memntal patient wouldn't want to go through that.

good thing there's no crazy people in california

Wow. Total psycho.

Sad thing is because of her "mental issues" she will probably receive a light sentence if any, and have to see a shrink as part of her conditions of release. Quite pathetic really.

Crazy

Driver used SUV to hit 2 brothers, police say

Police say after the St. Augustine woman's vehicle was accidentally hit by a golf ball, she made a U-turn and ran over a median to hit the brothers.

By Associated Press
Published December 7, 2004

ST. AUGUSTINE - A woman ran over two teenage brothers, leaving one with life-threatening injuries, after they accidentally hit her sport utility vehicle with a golf ball they were bouncing in a parking lot, officials said.

Isiah Grayer, 14, remained in critical condition Monday night with massive brain injuries, said St. Johns County sheriff's Deputy Greg Suchy.

Grayer and his 16-year-old twin stepbrothers, Justin and Jamel Marshman, were bouncing a golf ball in the Westgate Plaza lot Sunday afternoon when it went astray and struck the top of a Chevrolet Blazer driven by Kathy Feaganes Allen, 47, Suchy said.

A judge ordered Allen held without bail Monday on three counts of attempted murder.

Suchy said no damage was done, and the boys apologized and began to walk away. Allen started to drive away, but suddenly made a U-turn, ran over a median and struck Grayer and Justin Marshman before knocking over a light pole, Suchy said.

She then drove after the third boy, Jamel Marshman, crossing two medians and striking a utility box before her SUV stopped in a ditch, Suchy said. When the vehicle became stuck, the boy ran away and was not hit.

Grayer is being treated at Shands Hospital in Jacksonville. Justin Marshman was treated for injuries and was released around noon Monday.

Witness Russell McPhee said Allen accelerated to hit the boys.

"She charged them," he said. "This was the most deliberate act."

McPhee said he yelled at Allen to stay where she was when she got out of her car.

"She got out of her car, lit a cigarette and stood there like she didn't do anything wrong," said the 38-year-old St. Augustine resident. "The comment she made to me is, "They threw rocks at me.' That parking lot has no rocks whatsoever."

Allen then used Terry Gerspch's cell phone to call her husband. Gerspch said Allen seemed unfazed.

"She was as calm as anything," she said. "She said the boys were throwing rocks at her car."

Allen's husband, Richard Allen, said he hasn't talked to his wife since her arrest Sunday. Asked if she has a history of mental illness during a brief telephone interview from his home Monday evening, Allen said, "Yeah, I can't talk about it. I'm sorry," before ending the call.

Police are still trying to patch together the threads of Allen's life and make sense of what happened Sunday, Suchy said. They don't know what she does for a living, but they know she had just gone shopping at Dollar General.

Police tested Allen for signs of drugs and alcohol, but toxicology results won't be available for a few weeks, Suchy said. He said Allen has had bouts with mental illness, but police don't know the nature of it yet.

"As far as I know, they know there is some history and medications, but we don't know specifically what those are," he said.

Police haven't calculated Allen's exact speed yet, but Suchy said, "She was going fast enough and accelerating enough to jump four curbs, hit the boys and hit a light pole."

McPhee, the witness, said the uninjured brother ran over to Allen's car and confronted her right after the incident.

"He didn't get physical with her," he said. "He just kept asking "Why? Why did you do this?"'

Allen told him to stay away from her, McPhee said.

Brent Woolbright of the St. Johns County Public Defender's Office said he was assigned her case Monday and was trying to get all the facts.

"I talked to her, and her story is a little different than what was reported," he said, adding that he hoped to get bail set for her.

- Times staff writer Jade Jackson Lloyd and researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this report.The thing that gets me is the fact that they apologized to her for accidently hitting her vehicle she drove off THEN decided to pull the U-turn and run them over.

that certainly is crazy....I hope she is punished, but like cyclingshane73 said, she'll probably claim insane and get off easy.

it's a damn shame, but not really cycling related....perhaps belongs in FOO forum?

Ha after the kids ACCIDENTLEY hit the car i thought that was funny. always blaming it on the victim, the other funny part is that i bet you the woman has one kid and drives an suv, so she can look cool . I dont get it, dot buy an suv unless you ahve at least 4 kids. sorry that was a mini rant.

*dont

that certainly is crazy....I hope she is punished, but like cyclingshane73 said, she'll probably claim insane and get off easy.

it's a damn shame, but not really cycling related....perhaps belongs in FOO forum?

The link to cycling in my mind, and by extension bicycle commuting, was "Geez, these are the people I'm sharing the road with?" What if my bike tire dinged up a rock and hit her windshield???

The link to cycling in my mind, and by extension bicycle commuting, was "Geez, these are the people I'm sharing the road with?" What if my bike tire dinged up a rock and hit her windshield???Works for me

The link to cycling in my mind, and by extension bicycle commuting, was "Geez, these are the people I'm sharing the road with?" What if my bike tire dinged up a rock and hit her windshield???

Or what if you "took the lane" in front of her... she obviously thought she was justified in taking out any and all that bothered her.

I think that this points to the fact that too many cagers out there are just a heartbeat away from this sort of retaliation. All that pent up anger and a 2000 lb mass to throw our way... :eek:

This is the sort of thing that is driving me to find a commute that is off road.

. All that pent up anger and a 2000 lb mass to throw our way... :eek:


Try closer to 5000 in this case.

Try closer to 5000 in this case.


Well probably true in this case. But most vehicles are closer to 2000 lbs

Did you know there is a tax break for businesses that buy and use 6000 lb + vehicles? Was informed of it years ago during the "party of 1999" and the season of good stock options.

So the guv encourages small businesses to buy huge gas guzzlers... ain't that sweet? Probably explains why there are so many giant vehicles out there with really pissed off drivers... now they still have to fuel these gas hogs during times of high gas prices and marginal business economy. :eek:

Guess I might get a bit torqued too.

Try closer to 5000 in this case.

aren't most SUVs over 10k pounds? Hence the debate about them being illegal to drive on non-trucking routes?


The link to cycling in my mind, and by extension bicycle commuting, was "Geez, these are the people I'm sharing the road with?" What if my bike tire dinged up a rock and hit her windshield???

Let's make this link to cycle commuting stronger:

I saw a huge SUV on my bicycle commute this morning with a woman driving it and smoking. She looked crazy in the eyes. I wonder if it's this lady's sister?

:)

Holly crap! Me and my brother were doing the same thing once, and broke someone's rear window, good thing someone sane owned it!

Well probably true in this case. But most vehicles are closer to 2000 lbs

Did you know there is a tax break for businesses that buy and use 6000 lb + vehicles? Was informed of it years ago during the "party of 1999" and the season of good stock options.

So the guv encourages small businesses to buy huge gas guzzlers... ain't that sweet? Probably explains why there are so many giant vehicles out there with really pissed off drivers... now they still have to fuel these gas hogs during times of high gas prices and marginal business economy. :eek:

Guess I might get a bit torqued too.

Not true
* Mini Passenger Car: 1,500 – 1,999 pounds curb weight
* Light Passenger Car: 2,000 – 2,499 pounds curb weight
* Compact Passenger Car: 2,500 – 2,999 pounds curb weight
* Medium Passenger Car: 3,000 – 3,499 pounds curb weight
* Heavy Passenger Car: 3,500 pounds and over curb weight

Yes I knew about that I've been pissed about it for years. It was supposed to be for Farmers tractors and related equipment - funny how that worked
Welcome to the USA

I saw a huge SUV on my bicycle commute this morning with a woman driving it and smoking. She looked crazy in the eyes. I wonder if it's this lady's sister?

:)

you're in san jose... wouldn't that be every 2nd person you see on the road? (the other person would be male, smoking, and driving an SUV) ;)

Not true
* Mini Passenger Car: 1,500 – 1,999 pounds curb weight
* Light Passenger Car: 2,000 – 2,499 pounds curb weight
* Compact Passenger Car: 2,500 – 2,999 pounds curb weight
* Medium Passenger Car: 3,000 – 3,499 pounds curb weight
* Heavy Passenger Car: 3,500 pounds and over curb weight


Where do SUVs and pickups fit into your list?

Based on what I see above, it appears as though "most" cars on the road are probably closer to 2500 -2999 pounds curb weight... close enough for me... I rounded to the nearest ton.

At any rate, anything over say a couple hundred pounds curb weight is gonna hurt me if it hits me on my 30 pound bike with 200 pound rider, in anger or otherwise... and that is my point.

Just too many heavy things out there with anger in them. Period.

Or what if you "took the lane" in front of her... she obviously thought she was justified in taking out any and all that bothered her.

Wouldn't matter where you were -- I recently had a bunch of punk kids try to do exactly the same thing to me in a bike lane, and I've seen it happen on separate bikepaths too. All this proves is that if someone really wants to take you out, they'll just do it -- regardless of where you are or what you're doing at the time. Fortunately, people like this are relatively rare. Unfortunately, the fact that she used a car in this case means that they're not going to get any rarer after the court case is said and done.

"The sun was in my eyes."

Where do SUVs and pickups fit into your list?

.They start at the high end of the compact car ~ 2800lbs (Toyota Rav 4 size) and work up from there.

In the darkest corner of a ditch in Hell, natch.

Here you go (all are curb weights):
Chev Equinox (their small) - 3668 lbs
Chev Suburban 3/4 ton 4x4 - 6073 lbs
Chev Avalanche 2500 4x4 - 6579 lbs

All cars are actually getting a lot heavier. All the passive and active safety stuff, as well as the fact that each successive redesign of an existing platform has to be bigger, quieter and stiffer to be marketable yeilds an ever-increasing curb wieght. In the 80's, sub 3000 pound cars were the norm, but things are different now. Most small cars (take a look at the new civic, for example) are well over 3000 lbs, with a midsize starting around 3400. Very few SUVs, except for the ones that are essentially cars under the skin, are under 4000 pounds. Some of the big ones are 7000+.

Which leads to my rant: I hate SUV's. Like an arms race to own the biggest, heaviest, least efficient, rolling solar eclipse on the road. It always makes me laugh when people try to justify them by telling me they are safe. What the hell is safe about a 7000 lb depleted uranium projectile with a stopping distance roughly equal to that of a freight train? I hate getting stuck in the wake of one of those stinky monsters. Because it is considered a "truck", it doesn't have to meet car emissions standards-what a joke. It always seems to me that the bigger the SUV, the more reckless, and inconsiderate the driver. I'd love to force all the Navigator owners to drive a Geo metro, or a scooter for a year. That'd learn em.

Which leads to my rant: I hate SUV's. ...

Find another vehicle that will carry 4 people, all the luggage and tow a 4500 lb boat and I'll buy it. Until then, an SUV is the only option.

On topic: this woman is nuts but I don't see how she will be able to get off due to the insanity. I think she'll get the full sentence. If this was a cycling commuter, you are right, but since it was kids, she will pay dearly.

>[QUOTE=DogBoy]Find another vehicle that will carry 4 people, all the luggage and tow a 4500 lb boat >
>and I'll buy it. Until then, an SUV is the only option.

You are right, of coarse, there are people who actually make use of their SUV in a practical way. But these people are in the vast minority, at least where I live. I would say 20% of the non-commercial traffic volume in this city is composed of SUV's. These people do not own anything that requires a trailer hitch, except maybe their fat butts. I rarely see SUV's with more than one passenger, and often with just the driver. I would wager that many of them rarely leave the city core, and most will never tow anything. You can carry just as much cargo, and as many people in a station wagon that gets nearly double the gas milage, costs less, handles better, has superior crash protection and braking performance. The way I look at it, from an urban transport point of veiw SUV's are little more than a bloated, rolling power trip. I look forward to the day that the price of gas has tripled so that more people can't afford to drive them. Stick 'em in the crusher, I says.

You can carry just as much cargo, and as many people in a station wagon that gets nearly double the gas milage, costs less, .

Name that wagon. I'd like to look up the cargo capacity and mileage for you.
the fact of the matter is most cars do NOT getmuch better mileage than an SUV.
Find a car that gets over 30mpg in the city? There are like 5 cars that can do that.
Your rants are really not based in fact, you just don't like the size of the vehicle.

Fortunately, people like this are relatively rare. Unfortunately, the fact that she used a car in this case means that they're not going to get any rarer after the court case is said and done.

Yeah, but unfortunately it only takes one of these "rare" types to ruin your day...

Name that wagon. I'd like to look up the cargo capacity and mileage for you.
the fact of the matter is most cars do NOT getmuch better mileage than an SUV.
Find a car that gets over 30mpg in the city? There are like 5 cars that can do that.
Your rants are really not based in fact, you just don't like the size of the vehicle.

Yeah, but name 5 SUV's that get 15mpg or greater in the city. Also, many SUV's do not have a very good size to cargo capacity ratio. Many station wagons are much better. Towing capacity will be less, but the majority of SUV owners will never tow anything.

Can you honestly say you as a cyclist that the excessive size of many SUV's does not bother you? Or that these vehicles are often used as single passenger vehicles that aren't used to haul any cargo?

Yeah, but name 5 SUV's that get 15mpg or greater in the city. Also, many SUV's do not have a very good size to cargo capacity ratio. Many station wagons are much better. Towing capacity will be less, but the majority of SUV owners will never tow anything.

Can you honestly say you as a cyclist that the excessive size of many SUV's does not bother you? Or that these vehicles are often used as single passenger vehicles that aren't used to haul any cargo?

What's weird is that a diesel Excursion gets into the low 20's mpg...actually a few more than a Subaru wagon with auto trans.
The vehicles that have looked the most out of control and reckless in my cycling have been japanese cars with the "wings" etc, careening around a corner with a pimple faced fool driving them. That's the guy who's gonna kill me.
Agree if you don't tow or haul, why bother getting one. In some cases if you do use an SUV, but live like 10 miles or less from work, I wouldn't worry about the gas cost.
it's the driver not the vehicle.

In some cases if you do use an SUV, but live like 10 miles or less from work, I wouldn't worry about the gas cost.

Me either, I'd ride my bike.:D

it's the driver not the vehicle.

Why do SUV threads start sounding like gun control threads? Maybe I need to hang out in the Advocacy Forum more.

Me either, I'd ride my bike.:D

True, but if your old, and it's 20 degrees below zero and dark, you're going to need to drive.

I was in a hit and run with an SUV last week that left me with a bruised sternum, quad and shin. Bike needed truing, but was otherwise ok. I was off work for a week and the police haven't found her yet. I've returned to the same intersection twice and watched traffic for 1/2 an hour each time to try and find her, without any luck.

I have yet to be hit but had a pretty close call with a lexus...I am more concerned about ricers than 6000lb SUVs. Rarely do you see a excursion flying around a turn at some excessive rate of speed. I own a GMC Yukon which is a pretty big SUV...I never drive it, but I dont' see anything wrong w/ owning one.

I have yet to be hit but had a pretty close call with a lexus...I am more concerned about ricers than 6000lb SUVs. Rarely do you see a excursion flying around a turn at some excessive rate of speed. I own a GMC Yukon which is a pretty big SUV...I never drive it, but I dont' see anything wrong w/ owning one.

Pretty weird username for someone with a Yukon..

I agree on the pimple faced morons driving ricers, they haven't a clue how to drive and certainly aren't looking for bicyclists

Rarely do you see a excursion flying around a turn at some excessive rate of speed.

Cause they can't- they'd flip over :D

I confess, I have no idea what a "ricer" is . . .

I confess, I have no idea what a "ricer" is . . .

A Japanese car, but not necessarily, typified by "The fats and the furious" movie.
A small car with tons of money wasted by modding the cheap car out.
Usually you see them with aftermarket wings, coffee can pipe, garish graphics, low profile tires and expensive rims, etc etc

Ha after the kids ACCIDENTLEY hit the car i thought that was funny. always blaming it on the victim, the other funny part is that i bet you the woman has one kid and drives an suv, so she can look cool . I dont get it, dot buy an suv unless you ahve at least 4 kids. sorry that was a mini rant.

Many SUVs seat only five. Four kids plus two parents means somebody is riding on the roof. "At least" implies probably more than one on the roof. Excellent visibility to be sure, but suboptimal climate control.

Some SUV drivers buy them for towing, and fail to produce the requisite number of roof-riders. Are they (ok, we) allowed to keep ours, or must we return them after disappointing fertility outcomes?

I agree on the pimple faced morons driving ricers, they haven't a clue how to drive and certainly aren't looking for bicyclists

No argument from me on that one, I've had my share of close calls from the modded out ricers. My point is that some SUV's are so large they take up an awful lot of road space and don't leave much room me & my bike. It's pretty unnerving when a biga** SUV with tires almost as tall as my ride height roars by inches away from my side.

Ricers...the import scene....basically any modded car with a motor smaller than 3.0L...Hondas/Integras tend to hog this market.

Example:

http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~veggetto/ricer1.jpg

Name that wagon. I'd like to look up the cargo capacity and mileage for you.
the fact of the matter is most cars do NOT getmuch better mileage than an SUV.
Find a car that gets over 30mpg in the city? There are like 5 cars that can do that.
Your rants are really not based in fact, you just don't like the size of the vehicle.

I respectfully disagree. My 1986 Volvo 740 has more cargo capacity than many mid size suvs. I'd be happy to measure it for you-but I know I can fit things in it that will not fit in my girlfriend's Explorer. My wagon is totally outdated, but even it manages 23-24 mpg in mixed driving, and that's with the turbo motor-the base motor would get you another 2-3mpg. That's a fact. More modern cars with normally asperated 4's are capable of much better milage. I rarely see a modern SUV that can break out of the teens in real world driving, regardless of what the rating is-many get 10mpg or less in the city-especially when you drive with a heavy foot, and get the optional V8. Find a car that gets over 30 mpg in the city? Ture, there aren't many, but this has no relevance to my original argument. I know many people who love ther SUV's, but you will have a hard time convincing me-with facts-that they are practical urban vehicles.

SUVs aren't practical, they're just nifty. LoL. I have no need for an SUV, I just got a steal on mine, so I picked it up. My SUV can only seat 4 ppl anyways...well 5 maybe, but we'll stick with the idea of 4. SUVs are just beefy station wagons w/ AWD

True, but if your old, and it's 20 degrees below zero and dark, you're going to need to drive.

:eek: If it gets to 20 below zero where I live, getting to work will not be my primary concern

I respectfully disagree. My 1986 Volvo 740 has more cargo capacity than many mid size suvs. I'd be happy to measure it for you-but I know I can fit things in it that will not fit in my girlfriend's Explorer. My wagon is totally outdated, but even it manages 23-24 mpg in mixed driving, and that's with the turbo motor-the base motor would get you another 2-3mpg. That's a fact. More modern cars with normally asperated 4's are capable of much better milage. I rarely see a modern SUV that can break out of the teens in real world driving, regardless of what the rating is-many get 10mpg or less in the city-especially when you drive with a heavy foot, and get the optional V8. Find a car that gets over 30 mpg in the city? Ture, there aren't many, but this has no relevance to my original argument. I know many people who love ther SUV's, but you will have a hard time convincing me-with facts-that they are practical urban vehicles.

Disagree all you want it's a free country. There are plenty of mid size SUV's that get as good of mileage as your 86 Volvo. Sure my statement is relevant if SUV's aren't really getting much worse than 5mpg less than most cars. it blows the "wasting the world's resources" argument to bits.
The fact of the matter is most cars don't get over 25mpg these days.
Be consistant, not "hate the rich"

A Japanese car, but not necessarily, typified by "The fats and the furious" movie.
A small car with tons of money wasted by modding the cheap car out.
Usually you see them with aftermarket wings, coffee can pipe, garish graphics, low profile tires and expensive rims, etc etc

Ack, I know them well. I should know this term given St Louis is the only town outside of Detroit with assembly lines from all three major car manufacturers: GM, Chrysler, Ford, although they plan to close down the Ford plant in 5 years or so.

Along these lines, I saw an interesting bumper sticker the other day . . . on a Chevy pickup: "Get OUR flag off YOUR foreign car." Interesting sentiment. Hey, we own a 86 Volvo and a 92 Honda. What can I say. I try not to drive them much.

Volvo (cars) is an american car company now, though it wasn't in '86 - Ford bought it from Volvo (manufacturing) in 1999 and the two have a 50-50 deal on the Volvo trademark. Feel free to put as many american flags on it as you like :)

The Volvo S40, Ford Focus and Mazda 3 are all practically the same car just with different engines and body shell.

Which mid sized SUV gets that kind of milage in real world mixed driving? (with the exception of the new hybrids). I am not aware of any that do. Perhaps you could come close with a Honda CRV, or similar vehicle, but that's essentially a tall car, not a truck. The fact that a vehicle which is 18 years newer than mine yet performs the same task less efficiently is exactly the point I was trying to make. There is no sensible reason for this.

SUV's on average do get far worse gas milage than the average car-I'm not sure where you are getting your numbers from, but I think your 5mpg estimate is way too low. And what about the resources wasted by building something that is at least 25% heavier than it needs to be-there are huge energy costs associated with manufacturing/scrapping too. Energy is rediculously cheap now. Really that is what influences people's decision to drive overly large, inefficient vehicles. They do it because they can-they don't have to think about why. Don't expect me to pretend that this is an intelligent way for a society to behave. SUV's are the tip of the iceberg. Our entire lifestyle reflects this kind of philosophy, and it has very real costs. Just because large numbers of people do something without questioning it, doesn't make it OK.





Disagree all you want it's a free country. There are plenty of mid size SUV's that get as good of mileage as your 86 Volvo. Sure my statement is relevant if SUV's aren't really getting much worse than 5mpg less than most cars. it blows the "wasting the world's resources" argument to bits.
The fact of the matter is most cars don't get over 25mpg these days.
Be consistant, not "hate the rich"