Finally

This summer a local resident, Fred Knoodle, was struck from behind and killed while riding his bicycle. While I didn't know him personally, the story hit close to home for two reasons: One, I spend a great deal of time riding my bikes on the roads around here. Two, a good friend/riding partner of ours (Benson) was struck from behind and almost killed in the summer of 2007. The woman who hit Benson never received so much as a ticket. I thought for sure that the killing this summer would be swept under the rug as well, but it looks like the tide may finally have turned. It now looks as though the person responsible for killing Fred Knoodle will actually be punished. Check out this article from the Petoskey News Review. I realize that the circumstances surrounding the crash certainly suggest that it was indeed an accident, but that doesn't change the fact that someone was killed. If you accidentally kill someone with a gun, there is a very good chance that you will be charged with negligent homicide. The same should be true if you accidentally strike and kill someone with your car. I'm glad to see that the sheriff's department and prosecuting attorney are finally going to defend our rights as cyclists by bringing charges of negligent homicide against the driver that struck and killed Mr. Knoodle this summer.