Doesn't really matter. She shouldn't be facing any jail time at all. The drunk driver should be facing a [censored] ton of jail time, though.

Of course it matters. What crime you commit makes a difference to what sentence you get.

As for "who cares about the law, I'm just talking about ethics" I don't think anybody here is really in a good position to saying what sort of punishment (if any) either of those people should receive (or have received). The article is obviously misrepresenting the relevant facts. Even the opening sentence is tantamount to lying. The women was not convicted of jaywalking; at best, she was convicted of a crime she also committed while she was jaywalking. Furthermore, the article conveniently omits many other relevant details about the driver's conviction and sentence. I don't know about you, but I'm not really inclined to jump to conclusions about how people should be punished when I don't have the relevant information.

The popular media's (mis)reporting of law and order events/issues is scandalous. I can't believe some people treat it with anything other than contempt.

Yeah, not sure if there's more to this story, but...

1. Just because a Driver has been drinking does not make them a drunk driver. There is a legal limit.
2. Cars have the right of way on a street with no crosswalk. (My sister still complains about getting that one wrong on her Drivers Test).
3. We're talking about a small child (who probably didn't look both ways) at night (where the Driver's vision was likely limited).
4. If she was paying such close attention to the whole thing, how did the 4-year-old get hit?
5. "can receive" so she hasn't actually been sentenced yet. She'll get less than three years.

Also, for those that want more http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/mother-whose-son-killed-hit-run-faces-two-201219312.html;_ylt=AtAhMqVRipcXNonc_kT66YSZCMZ_;_ylu=X3oDMTB2ZWVzdXN0BHBvcwMyBHNlYwNNZWRpYUJsb2dCb2R5QXNzZW1ibHk-;_ylg=X3oDMTM3dm91YmwyBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDOGMzMjc1NjMtYWNlNy0zNmU2LTg1NmEtN2FhMWEwMjhjZjI1BHBzdGNhdANvcmlnaW5hbHN8dGhlbG9va291dARwdANzdG9yeXBhZ2U-;_ylv=3.

"One girl ran across the street," Nelson said. "For some odd reason, I guess he saw the girl and decided to run out behind her. I said, 'Stop, A.J.,' and he was in the middle of the street so I said keep going. That's when we all got hit."

So 4-year-old runs out on a 4-lane highway with a median at night. He gets hit. Now, I don't know whether I would have charged her with a crime. On the other hand, she's his mother, it's her job to keep him from running out into the street.

Aw, there goes my American dream. Wait, I don't have one.

Uhhh, that's a bad thing?

If anyone wants an update, http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/mom-spared-jail-jaywalking-conviction-181337121.html.

I'm a little confused by what Jay-walking is. As far as I can tell, it is crossing the road at a place that doesn't have an official crossing (Zebra, Pelicain ect.). Which depnding on where you live (if you're in a rural area) could mean, as in this case, you have to walk quite a long way every time you want to cross a road. I'm really hoping I got the wrong end of the stick here.

Not at all surprised, my Senior year of high school a friend of mine was driving home from my house one night when a drunk driver clipped her and killed her. She was killed, he did no time. If I had known where to find the man he'd be minus a head.

nope, you're right.

It's mostly an urban enforced law, I think..


certainly not enforced anywhere around here.. but then, we only have one traffic light on the whole island.. and not much traffic... couple of tractors mostly... lotta sheep too.

Right, thanks. I live in the U.K., where we don't have this law (Due to lack of crossings) so I was a little confused. Got it now.