Poll: Does $85 Ticket Serve Justice?
A Cranston teen has been served a $85 ticket for allegedly causing a bus carrying elementary school-aged children to crash, seriously injuring the driver of the bus.
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Thirty-two people were sent to area hospitals after the bus they were riding in crashed off Route 4 in East Greenwich this week. According to police, the majority of the passengers were elementary school-aged children returning from a field trip in Newport. The bus driver was seriously injured in the crash after he was ejected from the vehicle.
State Police have issued a ticket to the Cranston teenager who they said caused the accident when he veered into the left-front side of the bus. The 17-year-old was issued a summons for failing to stay in the lane of travel.
The fine for the moving violation? $85.
Do you think this is a fair punishment or should the teen driver face harsher charges?
EG Lurker
5:38 pm on Thursday, April 19, 2012
Once again, a flawed poll on Patch.
What exactly are we being asked to vote on? The appropriateness of an $85 ticket, the fact that the driver was a teen, or the level of maliciousness?
What exactly should the punishment be? Again, Patch appears to be jumping to conclusions in a news article - do we know if the teen was impaired or distracted, swerving to avoid another vehicle, or merely not paying attention? Do we know if the bus was traveling at a safe speed? We know the driver wasn't wearing a seat belt, so why not jump to conclusions regarding his or her judgement behind the wheel? Perhaps he overreacted to the teen's car and added to the severity of the incident.
If in fact there is more to this accident, then maybe additional charges are in the offing for the teen - but thankfully the staties handling this didn't serve as judge, jury and executioner.
Also wondering if the driver weren't a teen, if things would be phrased differently here. But teens are easy targets around these parts...
Erin B.
5:38 pm on Thursday, April 19, 2012
Isn't the law now that if you receive a moving violation during the probationary license period, you begin the 18 month cycle again before you receive a full license? That was my understanding of it. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
That aside, the fact that there were injuries, not just damages, which resulted from the crash make an $85 ticket harder to swallow. Especially when speeding (regardless of a crash) can easily carry a heftier fine.
Erin B.
5:38 pm on Thursday, April 19, 2012
Or not wearing your seatbelt for that matter!
taxed2death
5:39 pm on Thursday, April 19, 2012
polls are a joke 74% of the voters said no because it was not thier child, that be my opinion
russell archambault
9:17 pm on Monday, May 21, 2012
the poll is very confusing on the justice of the matter. the law states to issue a fine to one person involved in an accident. the teen was deemed to be at fault by police.the poll was poorly stated, i feel that it is why it seems so close. depends on how you may perceive it. Its sad to think that one would vote either way just because it may not have been their child on that bus.
BOB I
12:52 pm on Thursday, April 19, 2012
what difference if that it was a teenager,he still hit the buss. let the police finish their infestation.
GameMaker
5:39 pm on Thursday, April 19, 2012
Yeah, this "teen did it" business over and over and over is ridiculous. Who cares what his age is?
Mutato
1:18 pm on Thursday, April 19, 2012
I think it was appropriate. Maybe that bus driver should have been wearing a seatbelt so they wouldn't have been ejected. Secondly, the driver of the bus should not have swerved to avoid the car and lost control. They have the larger vehicle and if a car veers into the lane they should not have a knee-jerk reaction, resulting in driving off the road. This happens all the time with large trucks. It's worse if they try to avoid the car. Better to just keep use the brakes, but stay driving forward.
EGMOM
7:47 am on Friday, April 20, 2012
Just curious, did YOU see the bus swerve and lose control? There are different ways to perform a "pit" maneuver. It's possible that the car hit in just the right spot to cause the bus to careen off the road. Why does it matter if the driver was wearing his seatbelt or not at this point? There aren't seatbelts for the kids! They were treated for bumps and bruises which WOULD NOT have happened if the car didn't hit the bus. Rather than attacking the bus driver look at the real cause- the driver of the car!!
russell archambault
9:19 pm on Monday, May 21, 2012
Ill bet know one knows why seat belts are not worn by students on buses.
Paul
1:56 pm on Thursday, April 19, 2012
I think they should look into the driver of the bus. I can't see how the bus went off the road without the driver over reacting all the driver had to do was hold the wheel straight and hit the brakes the car is no match for the bus I also think the driver of the bus panicked and turned the wheel hard and to much to the right to regain control which led him to go off the road
GameMaker
2:08 pm on Thursday, April 19, 2012
Agreed. I'm very curious to hear the final results of the investigation...
walter
5:39 pm on Thursday, April 19, 2012
it's the law. it's the fine.wait and see what happens when he gets the bill from his insurance company.
russell archambault
9:43 pm on Monday, May 21, 2012
Rob Borkowski; I have read some of the comments on some of your news reports. Have to say with all due respect,this reporting article, including the poll is one of your worst. Sorry. With that said, make your next report better, and no more polls. There a waste. just report !
Lori Farrell
11:44 am on Friday, April 20, 2012
it was an accident that unfortunately involved a bus full of children and seriously injured a man, but none the less an accident, a mistake in judgement. i think the accident is enough of a punishment don't you? I don't have a problem with the fine issued. In fact it seems to me if that driver had seriously acted negligable-speeding, driving recklessly, etc-it would have turned out much worse, i could be wrong tho.I'm sure that driver feels terrible and regretted their actions. no need for lynch mentality.
Danielle Fonseca
11:40 am on Saturday, April 21, 2012
I agree, Lori. This is by far the best attitude we can pursue regarding this situation. It was an accident, and unfortunately accidents do not result in ideal consequences. Each person played a part (no matter their age), and even though it wasn't the best predicament, how can we believe it was malicious or intentional? Definitely interested to know what happens.
Alicarn
5:39 pm on Thursday, April 19, 2012
I would hope that this crash (not accident!!) is being fully investigated to find out how and why this car crashed into the bus. Was the teen still on a provisional license? Was he texting or talking on a cell phone? Was he horsing around? I expect there will be some lawsuits and that this kid will learn an expensive lesson about responsibility.