Cyclist in UK banned from driving after killing a pedestrian. What about the guy who killed Chastity Rettinger?
Wednesday, August 12th, 2009
A cyclist who knocked down an 84-year-old pedestrian who later died has been jailed for seven months and banned from driving for a year.
Darren Hall, 20, rode down a hill in Weymouth too fast he then went up on to the pavement on a blind bend to avoid a red traffic light, Dorchester Crown Court heard. Hall hit Ronald Turner in August last year. He died 13 days later.
Hall, of Weymouth, pleaded guilty to the 19th Century offence of wanton and furious driving causing bodily harm.
Chastity along with friend and co-worker Kristine Whitley had no reason to worry about their intended route. They would be riding along Old St. Augustine Rd. which is one of the few roads in Jacksonville that not only has marked bike lanes. But that also correctly moves the cyclist to the left of right hand turn lanes eliminating “The Right Hook” which is the number one cause of automobile/cyclist accidents.
Approaching the I-95 overpass a driver was too busy fiddling with his GPS to notice the cyclists on his left as he left the right turn only lane to merge back into traffic. In doing so he hit both cyclists ending Chastity Rettinger’s life and sending Kristine Whitley to the hospital.
The driver drove away from the accident scene with a minor citation.