Hitting A Cyclist Might Not Matter Much If You Drive a Mercedes - Petition
When it comes to sharing the road with cyclists, it's scarily common for car drivers to act as if they live above the law.The case of Colorado wealth manager Martin Joel Erzinger, 52, proves this to the extreme.
Erzinger was driving his Mercedes on July 3rd when, according to The Vail Daily, he allegedly veered to the side of the road and struck a cyclist from behind.
Did he stop? No. Did he call 911? Did he attempt to help his victim, who survived but suffered severe spinal cord injuries and brain bleeding? No and no. Rather, Erzinger fled the scene and later stopped to call Mercedes auto assistance and report damage to his expensive vehicle.
Now, it looks like he could get off with a minor slap on the wrist: Eagle County District Attorney recently said he would drop the felony charges. And the reason isn't because Erzinger successfully proved he wasn't reckless, negligent or at fault for the accident. Nope, Erzinger is getting off because he is rich.
According to The Vail Daily article, the DA is worried that jail time would mean Erzinger can't keep his job at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney's Denver office, where he manages more than $1 billion in assets and, according to Worth.com, is "dedicated to ultra high net worth individuals, their families and foundations.” No, really?
Not only is this raw deal outrageous for the victim, who isn't so concerned about money (Erzinger says he is more than willing to pay his way out of this sticky situation...big surprise, there), it's also outrageous for advocates who want to reduce urban congestion and the polluting emissions that result. Because how many people are really going to ditch their car if they think drivers can run them over and get off without a scratch?
As Change.org tech team member Joe Arasin writes in a petition he started over the issue, "Traffic laws exist to motivate all drivers to act in a manner that is safe for other users of the road, including pedestrians, cyclists, and other drivers. To those of us who rely on bicycles for transportation and recreation, enforcement of laws that ensure our safety on the road is vital."
Some drivers think bicyclists deserve what they get simply for using the road, and apparently judges often agree. Dropping or downgrading felony charges is a common occurrence for two-wheeled collision victims, and several states lack bicycle homicide laws entirely. In one case, recently, I wrote about the hit-and-run death of U.S. Senate candidate Natasha Pettigrew in Maryland. Ms. Pettigrew lost her life and the SUV driver will likely lose only a few thousand dollars. And that driver wasn't even super rich!
Around the country, bicycle advocacy groups are campaigning to make sure drivers like Erzinger are held accountable to the full extent of the law. Now, some are planning to boycott a major bike race in Vail in protest of the DA's decision.
Join them in speaking out by telling DA Mark Hulbert to keep the felony charges.
<a href="http://www.change.org/petitions/view/da_mark_hurlbert_dont_drop_felony_charges_against_hit-and-run_wealth_manager">http://www.change.org/petitions/view/da_mark_hurlbert_dont_drop_felony_charges_against_hit-and-run_wealth_manager</a>; From <a href="http://environment.change.org/blog/view/hitting_a_cyclist_might_not_matter_much_if_you_drive_a_mercedes">http://environment.change.org/blog/view/hitting_a_cyclist_might_not_matter_much_if_you_drive_a_mercedes</a>;
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