Drunk driver runs over child gets 6 months, mother could get up to 36 months

[neonvincent]

Pedestrian convicted of vehicular homicide in own child's death
Cobb County News 4:12 p.m. Thursday, July 14, 2011
By Elise Hitchcock
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A Marietta mother may serve more time than the driver who hit and killed her 4-year-old son.

Raquel Nelson, 30, could be sentenced to up to 36 months at a hearing July 26, said David Savoy, her attorney. She was convicted Tuesday of homicide by vehicle in the second degree, crossing roadway elsewhere than at crosswalk and reckless conduct, said Savoy.

Jerry L. Guy, the driver who admitted hitting the child when pleading guilty to hit-and-run, served a 6-month sentence. He was released Oct. 29, 2010, and will serve the remainder of a 5-year sentence on probation, according to Cobb court records.

Nelson was attempting to cross at the intersection of Austell Road and Austell Circle with her three children when her son was struck by a car, said Savoy. The child later died from his injuries. Nelson and her younger daughter suffered minor injuries and her older daughter was not injured.

Guy confessed to having consumed "a little" alcohol earlier in the day, being prescribed pain medication and being partially blind in his left eye, said David Simpson, his attorney.

Grist has an analysis and an update. In case you're wondering, Ms. Nelson is African-American while the driver was likely white.

Ms. Nelson is scheduled to be sentenced tomorrow. Change.org has a petition to present to the judge. Cobb County GA: Release Grieving Mother of Hit-and-Run & Install a Crosswalk. Nearly 58,000 people have signed it so far. I have the text of the email Change.org sent out at A petition against the criminalization of walking.

Comments

[surpassingly]

Just... aaaagh.

I'd sign the petition but it doesn't accept non-USA addresses. Still -- wishing Ms. Nelson and all her family strength in this terrible ordeal.

[the_future_modernes]

Complete and utter rage ever since I heard about this fuckery. This insistence that development should be centered on the needs of the rich and not the poor, and that the poor should be twice victimized as a result of the fucked up conditions that shitty decisions like putting a bus stop faraway from a crossing place on a goddamn several lane highway makes me ill. This book on the subject is pretty good. I should probably reread and review in light of this event: Highway Robbery: Transportation Racism and New Routes to Equity