Woman, Charged With DUI, Could Face Additional Charges after Bicyclist Struck by Car Dies


A woman could be facing more serious charges after a man struck while riding his bicycle on Military Highway Tuesday night died from his injuries Wednesday.

Chesapeake officials say the man was traveling westbound near the Gilmerton Bridge when he was struck around 8:50pm by a vehicle driven by 54-year old Barbara Ann Beck.

Investigators believe Beck was also traveling westbound on Military Highway when her vehicle ran off the roadway, striking the bicyclist.

Beck has been charged with DUI, but authorities say additional charges are expected.

Police have been unable to identify the victim. They said the man didn't have any identification on him.

The victim is a black male, approximately 40-45 years of age, with a tattoo on his right forearm of the word 'LOVE.' He was riding a blue Trek bike.

Anyone with information on the man's identity is asked to call the Chesapeake Police at 382-6251.


It is still a bit light here at that time, so the it was dark excuse won't wash.

see story here

It seems like such a common occurrence that Bicyclists and pedestrians get hit by drunk drivers. We need to get these drivers off the road. And this will only happen if we start charging them with murder and we put them away for life.

They do, if the victims are cute kids or cops.
http://www.ktvu.com/news/4422543/detail.html
MARTINEZ -- A former nanny who ran down a brother and sister on a suburban sidewalk and then fled, got down on her knees and begged for forgiveness Friday before being sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for second-degree murder.

Jimena Barreto, 46, sobbed as she read a two-page apology to the parents of Troy Pack, 10, and his sister, Alana, 7. The children were riding a scooter and a bike on their way to get Slurpees with their mother and friends on Oct. 26, 2003 when they were struck near their Danville home.

Barreto, a four-time convicted drunken driver, was seen drinking the day of the crash and then spotted driving erratically in her gold 1979 Mercedes. She swerved across two lanes without braking and smashed into the siblings. Barreto has denied drinking, but she admits taking a prescription painkiller and a muscle relaxant before the collision.

Judge Mary Ann O'Malley, who had received letters from Barreto's family and former employers attesting to her character, imposed the maximum sentence for the two counts of second-degree murder. The two sentences of 15 years to life, one for each child, will run consecutively.

A visibly distraught Barreto begged for mercy from the judge and the children's parents -- who also wept throughout the proceeding -- saying she was a good person who had devoted her life to caring for children and never meant to hurt anybody.

I just called the Chesapeake police thinking that I could help out with the id, thinking I've seen the guy on the road a few times. The officer told me that they have identified him already.

Join and contribute to MADD.
Become politically active.
When you post something here, email it to your representatives in state and local government and to your local newspaper's "letters to the editor."
If something like this happens in your neighborhood, set up a visible roadside memorial.

Damn... it would be better if the subject said, "at least the driver was mugged and shot."