Questions About Effectiveness of Maryland Vehicular Manslaughter Laws
By BETH PARKER/myfoxdcANNAPOLIS, Md. - Earlier this week, a 52-year-old man was struck and killed by a driver on the sidewalk at an Oxon Hill shopping center. Witnesses said the driver was doing donuts in the parking lot before the accident.
Charges for reckless driving were dropped in order to avoid double jeopardy and clear the way for potential future charges of manslaughter.
However, for years, some people have said the Maryland vehicular manslaughter laws are not working.
15-year-old Connor Kohls once said what he liked most about life is simply being alive. On August 11, 2008, that was taken away when Connor was hit and killed by a van. Connor was Ed Kohls' only son.
“Anyone who's lost a child knows the feeling of responsibility and loss and pain and constant wondering. Can we change time or find a time machine? None of that will happen for us,” said Kohls.
But he said what might happen is that if the law is tougher, other drivers might be more careful.
Connor was playing near the end of his family's driveway at their rural Maryland road. The driver admitted to reckless driving and speeding.
“We expected him to go to jail. Like every parent thinks - you kill somebody going double the speed limit - you go to jail. Well, it does not work that way in Maryland. What happens is you get points like you do for running a stop sign,” said Kohls.
The driver got four tickets and paid a fine.
“He just paid his fines and went away,” said Kohl. “It'll never go away for us. We're destroyed.”
In each of the last four years, state lawmaker Luiz Simmons has introduced a bill designed to make it easier for Maryland prosecutors to convict drivers of manslaughter.
“Maryland's standard for prosecution is impossibly high. It's one of the highest standards in the country,” said Simmons.
Maryland law requires proof of gross negligence - indifference to human life. Many drivers who cause deadly accidents end up with reckless driving charges.
“We need to make these laws stricter so that it's treated somewhat like a loaded gun. You have to be responsible with a loaded gun. You have to be responsible with a car when you drive it,” said Kohls.
Kohls said it will not help his family. But it might save another Maryland citizen from the pain he carries with him every day.
That bill to change the law did not make it out of committee for a vote. The judiciary committee is chaired by Prince George's Democrat Joe Vallario. We called and e-mailed him for a comment Friday but no one has called FOX 5 back. <a href="http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/local/questions-about-effectiveness-of-maryland-vehicular-manslaughter-laws-051410">http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/local/questions-about-effectiveness-of-maryland-vehicular-manslaughter-laws-051410</a>;
Fond via <a href="http://stopthemud.org/">http://stopthemud.org/</a>;
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