Jasle
Sponsoring Member
- Nov 27, 2001
- 1,358
- 1
>>THIS IS A FORWARD FROM ANOTHER LIST:
>>
>>From: "Tom Melchild"
>>Reply-To fjr1300@micapeak.com
>>To: FJR1300 Mailing List
>>Subject: Help needed in Bay Area
>>Date: Thu, 26 Dec 2002 17:45:32 -0800
>As some of you know, I lost a very good friend last winter. Gary Kunich
>was great guy who I worked on the Cal 24 rally with for several years.
>Last Jan. 11th, he was riding his K75 to work in Livermore on Vasco
>Road. He encountered very thick fog, to the point that the traffic had
>stopped due to almost zero visibility. He did exactly what we all are
>told to do in a situation like this, he stopped behind a truck on the
>right side of the lane, next to the white line. While he was stopped, a
>woman, Niki Moore from Clayton, in 3/4 ton Dodge Pickup struck him at
>between 60 and 70 mph. The force of the crash drug him, trapped under
>the truck for over 70 feet, broke the motorcycle into 3 pieces, and he
>died in an inferno when the truck burst into flames. After the crash it
>became known that at least two people had called 911 from cell phones
>the morning of the crash reporting the outrageous behavior of this
>woman in the minutes before impact. She had been passing cars on the
>shoulder at over 75 mph. At the scene of the accident, witnesss' said
>that while Gary was trapped under her burning truck, she was retrieving
>her cell phone and papers. Now after, almost a year, the woman who
>caused the death of our friend, and fellow motorcycle rider, is trying
>desperately to avoid jail time. They presented a plea agreement that
>would avoid ANY jail time in exchange for a guilty plea. The offer was
>basically 5 years probation, 60 days in jail, and after one year, the
>charges dropped from felony to misdemeanor. The prosecutor would not
>accept the plea, so she and her attorney went to a judge in Pleasanton
>last Wed. The judge rejected the plea. Now, she and her attorney are
>trying again with a different judge in Hayward. Now, if this weren't
>enough, here is what her Attorney, Louis Goodman was quoted as saying
>in the paper last Thursday: "This is a tragic traffic accident. As
>someone who's ridden a motorcycle many, many times, it's a risk all
>motorcyclists take," he said. "I'm not saying there's anything the
>motorcyclist could have done in a rear-end collision, but there would
>probably not have been the same result if he was in a vehicle."
>Is this crazy? I guess according to Mr. Goodman we should all be driving
>only 3/4 ton pickups so we can be protected from the actions of people like
>his client.
>What I am asking is for anyone who can, come to the Hayward Hall of Justice
>on Friday, Jan. 10th at 9:00AM. This is the time that Judge Kurtz is
>scheduled to hear Mr. Goodman try to get him to approve the plea agreement
>that another judge and the prosecutor would not. We need as large a showing
>as possible.
>The address is: Hayward Hall of Justice
>24405 Amador Street Hayward, CA 94544
>It is on the corner of W. Winton and Amador, approximately. two blocks east
>of I880 on W. Winton. The hearing will be in room 513.
>If you can't make it, if you can send a letter to Judge Robert Kurtz at the
>same address. Tell him that you as a member of the community would be
>outraged if this woman got anything less than jail time for her behavior.
>Thanks for your help!
>Tom Melchild
>George Jercich
>>
>>From: "Tom Melchild"
>>Reply-To fjr1300@micapeak.com
>>To: FJR1300 Mailing List
>>Subject: Help needed in Bay Area
>>Date: Thu, 26 Dec 2002 17:45:32 -0800
>As some of you know, I lost a very good friend last winter. Gary Kunich
>was great guy who I worked on the Cal 24 rally with for several years.
>Last Jan. 11th, he was riding his K75 to work in Livermore on Vasco
>Road. He encountered very thick fog, to the point that the traffic had
>stopped due to almost zero visibility. He did exactly what we all are
>told to do in a situation like this, he stopped behind a truck on the
>right side of the lane, next to the white line. While he was stopped, a
>woman, Niki Moore from Clayton, in 3/4 ton Dodge Pickup struck him at
>between 60 and 70 mph. The force of the crash drug him, trapped under
>the truck for over 70 feet, broke the motorcycle into 3 pieces, and he
>died in an inferno when the truck burst into flames. After the crash it
>became known that at least two people had called 911 from cell phones
>the morning of the crash reporting the outrageous behavior of this
>woman in the minutes before impact. She had been passing cars on the
>shoulder at over 75 mph. At the scene of the accident, witnesss' said
>that while Gary was trapped under her burning truck, she was retrieving
>her cell phone and papers. Now after, almost a year, the woman who
>caused the death of our friend, and fellow motorcycle rider, is trying
>desperately to avoid jail time. They presented a plea agreement that
>would avoid ANY jail time in exchange for a guilty plea. The offer was
>basically 5 years probation, 60 days in jail, and after one year, the
>charges dropped from felony to misdemeanor. The prosecutor would not
>accept the plea, so she and her attorney went to a judge in Pleasanton
>last Wed. The judge rejected the plea. Now, she and her attorney are
>trying again with a different judge in Hayward. Now, if this weren't
>enough, here is what her Attorney, Louis Goodman was quoted as saying
>in the paper last Thursday: "This is a tragic traffic accident. As
>someone who's ridden a motorcycle many, many times, it's a risk all
>motorcyclists take," he said. "I'm not saying there's anything the
>motorcyclist could have done in a rear-end collision, but there would
>probably not have been the same result if he was in a vehicle."
>Is this crazy? I guess according to Mr. Goodman we should all be driving
>only 3/4 ton pickups so we can be protected from the actions of people like
>his client.
>What I am asking is for anyone who can, come to the Hayward Hall of Justice
>on Friday, Jan. 10th at 9:00AM. This is the time that Judge Kurtz is
>scheduled to hear Mr. Goodman try to get him to approve the plea agreement
>that another judge and the prosecutor would not. We need as large a showing
>as possible.
>The address is: Hayward Hall of Justice
>24405 Amador Street Hayward, CA 94544
>It is on the corner of W. Winton and Amador, approximately. two blocks east
>of I880 on W. Winton. The hearing will be in room 513.
>If you can't make it, if you can send a letter to Judge Robert Kurtz at the
>same address. Tell him that you as a member of the community would be
>outraged if this woman got anything less than jail time for her behavior.
>Thanks for your help!
>Tom Melchild
>George Jercich