Six months later, an OC cyclist may finally see justice for the driver who killed him.
According to Rancho Santa Margarita Patch, 39-year old Irvine resident Hasti Fakhrai-Bayrooti was arrested Tuesday on a charge of vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated for the death of cyclist Eric Billings last March.
Billings was riding a cruiser bike in the southbound bike lane on Santa Margarita Parkway, between El Toro Road and Los Alisos Blvd in Mission Viejo around 6:45 pm on Friday, March 15th. Fakhrai-Bayrooti, who goes by the name Hayley, was headed north on Santa Margarita when she missed her turn onto Los Alisos, and made a U-turn at El Toro Road.
Her car drifted into the bike lane, striking Billings from behind and killing him instantly.
Blood tests revealed that she was under the influence of prescription medication at the time of the collision, which she described to Patch last July as an anti-depressant.
“I’ve had illnesses; I was diagnosed with PTSD, OCD,” she said. “I was diagnosed with manic depression and for those I have to take medication or else (I’m) not going to function.”
And yet, she claims her ability to drive was not impaired by the medication — even though her own description of what happened after her U-turn suggests otherwise.
Next, ”something came into contact with me or I came into contact with something. I don’t know,” she said outside the fountains near Selma’s in RSM.
Her car wouldn’t stop, she said.
“I tried so hard to stop that car,” she said, gesturing as if she were holding a steering wheel and slamming on the brakes. ”The wheel was out of my control. The brake was out of my control.”
Apparently, the car developed a mind of its own, seizing control and running down an innocent victim while she sat helpless behind the wheel.
Yeah, that could happen.
And despite having just made a U-turn, she somehow hit the 54-year old father of four with enough force to kill him instantly; Billings was pronounced dead as soon as rescuers arrived at 6:48 pm.
It wasn’t her first driving infraction; she had previously been charged with speeding over 65 mph and using a hand-held cell phone while driving; no word on whether her car was responsible for those infractions, as well.
Fakhrai-Bayrooti describes herself as devastated by the collision, dropping her legal practice and leaving her car in the police impound lot. She also reports being so depressed that she attempted suicide the week after the collision by taking “everything in the medicine cabinet.”
On the other hand, I doubt her victim’s family took it very well, either. Although, as a devout Mormon, Billings probably would have forgiven her if he could.
However, the Orange County District Attorney’s office doesn’t seem to be so willing to turn the other cheek.
She has been released after posting $100,000 bail.
One last note.
This comment was left on the Patch story of Fakhrai-Bayrooti’s arrest:
…I feel bad for this woman. She had a need for a prescription, and it didn’t impair her or cause her to hit the cyclist. I take thyroid medication; if I get into a car accident, will I be arrested for the same thing? And after reading her blog about the accident, poor thing seemed like she had suffered enough for what she did.
So let’s be absolutely clear.
If your medication affects your ability to drive, then don’t. If you even think you might be impaired, you have both a legal and moral obligation to stay the hell off the road.
Despite the excuses we give ourselves, no one has to drive. And no one has a God given right to be on the roads — especially not when medications or other health factors may make them a danger to others.
If you make a decision to keep driving despite the effects of your medication, you can and should be held accountable for whatever happens as a result. And just because someone denies being impaired, that doesn’t mean they weren’t, as Fakhrai-Bayrooti’s description of the collision suggests.
She may have needed her prescription to function, but should have known it could affect her ability to operate a motor vehicle; there is a reason for those warnings that accompany prescription medicines.
Now a man is dead, and a family forever shattered.
And a woman faces charges for a fatal collision that has left her depressed.
But for which, by her own description, she still hasn’t taken responsibility.
Update: The LA Daily News reports Fakhrai-Bayrooti had two drugs in her system at the time of the collision — anti-anxiety drug Alprazolan, and Buprenorphine, which the paper says is used to treat opiate addictions.
Both medications contain warnings that they can cause drowsiness and dizziness, and not to drive until you know how they affect you. According to the Drugs.com link above, combining the two medications can cause severe drowsiness, as well as severe breathing problems and increased risk of seizures.
Update 2: There have been a few comments, as you can see below, accusing me of bias in this case and demanding changes to this story.
I stand by everything I have written. However, just to be clear, I am not prejudging this or any other case; my comments are based on what has been published in the press, including comments from the DA’s office.
Fakhrai-Bayrooti has been charged, but has yet to be tried or convicted. My hope is that she receives the justice she deserves, whether that is conviction or exoneration.
But I repeat, there is no excuse, ever, for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol — including prescription medications — that may prevent you from safely operating a motor vehicle.
If you have to take something, then get someone to drive you, find another means of transportation, or stay home.
The lives of others depend on it.
Ten years in prison should straighten her up…… 10 years after that for loss of license – that may keep her from having her “car” kill again…..
Well, that’s not fair, is it? Why should she lose her license for the actions of her car, which she apparently had nothing to do with?
I say let’s crush the car and have it exorcised, then scatter the pieces so it can never kill again.
Well, the car probably wasn’t old enough to be held legally responsible, so the owner/parent has to take on that responsibility, so I’m afraid it’s back to her.
Lastly,from your perspective, if you grabbed the milk gallon and carefully poured into the glass, there would be no accidents in life, EVER. Most women apply their daily make-up before work while driving and BAM…Your article is salacious. The cause remains unclear. I just saw a commercial for a thyroid med that one side effect is drowsiness…& did you know the DMV doesn’t revoke anyone’s DL unless alcohol is found? I think you are more upset w/ the laws of the land than you are w/ my loved one. You know she’s not a criminal…yet, all of your frustrations are being taken out on her b/c too many lives are lost daily. Everyone loves their family and friends & hates seeing them in pain, I’m no different; yet feel horrible for this holly man that died…but until proven otherwise, maybe u should update ur Article & add Allegedly..
What the fuck?????? Seriously?
My wife applies her makeup in the bathroom, not behind the wheel of a car.
Anyone who does it while driving can and should be charged with distracted driving. If a collision happens under those circumstances, the idiot applying the makeup would be legally responsible for causing it.
So please, if you apply makeup while you drive, let me know so I can alert the police and stay the hell of the road while you do it.
As I said before, there are few, if any, accidents behind the wheel. If you drive legally and safely, and everyone around does as well, you will not have a collision. Period.
And actually, a driver’s license can be suspended following any conviction for DUI, regardless of the substance used, as well as for any number of other reasons.
My article is salacious? Do you even know what that word means? Maybe you should look it up before you throw out meaningless accusations.
And please, where would you suggest that I add that “allegedly?” That she was “allegedly” behind the wheel? That her car “allegedly” hit and killed an innocent man? That she was “allegedly” arrested for manslaughter while intoxicated? Those are facts, not allegations.
Finally, I am not upset with your loved one. I want dangerous drivers to be held accountable for their actions, and taken off the road before they kill someone, not after. I want our streets to be safer. And I want people to be able to ride their bikes without getting killed by someone who is “allegedly” too high to control her damn car.
There, is that better?
Now please, go away before you “allegedly” embarrass yourself any further.
She learned that I wrote for her and is upset that I did so….I truly meant no disrespect to any person, most especially to the Deceased’s family & his loved ones. Additionally, I’m sorry to learn you personally have experienced losing two loved ones. Honestly, when I saw her last…hurt me so much & was generally shocked that ppl were talking about her personal life as opposed to the issue. I am saddened by the shocking statistics of 30K lives a year. Whatever God has planned will occur. You are absolutely correct in that people need to drive safe in an effort to lessen that number. And no, I DO NOT wear make-up while driving, as an insurance adjuster, I come across many cases involving accidents/some fatal…whereas they were distracted by wearing lipstick, etc.which is y I mentioned above. I can appreciate that YOU have personally lost two of your loved ones and have strong opinions about it. I do know the meaning of salacious…again, I always think, it’s innocent til proven otherwise, but more times I see the exact opposite. I hope the best for YOU, the deceased’s family and my loved one. But we both know lessening that number of lost lives requires a change. Personally, at stop lights, I have witnessed many females looking and applying make-up while driving. I hope my message is well received. BEST
Mr.BikeinLA: where I come from we study English from its root…first, I never get embarrassed as I’m the one typically embarrassing others like you. The word “salacious” doesn’t necessarily refer to “porn” it can also account for vulgar/vile..You studied here, where you hear and learn when/where words shall be used, but the problem with schooling here is far from schooling in the middle east, wherein a typical student must learn three other languages in addition to advanced math, say in fourth grade. Your average high school graduate wouldn’t stand a chance to compete in any subject w/ one from where I was born. So, expand and I suggest you look up the word “salacious” and see it can be used for vulgar/vile, etc. not limited to what you men translate it to. Here, I didn’t talk about my loved one or any others’…simply educated you a bit, since you “allegedly” write articles, yet unaware of simple vocab….How about that? Moreover, Justice wasn’t delayed, clearly they could have arrested her the night of the accident….I’m not really drawing any conclusions from said, but maybe she didn’t exhibit any signs of impairment not allowing them to arrest her that night…again just speculating here. Go Fish.
From Merriam-Webster:
Full Definition of SALACIOUS
1
: arousing or appealing to sexual desire or imagination : lascivious
2
: lecherous, lustful
— sa·la·cious·ly adverb
— sa·la·cious·ness noun
From the Oxford English Dictionary:
ADJECTIVE
1( Of writing, pictures, or talk) treating sexual matters in an indecent way and typically conveying undue interest in or enjoyment of the subject:
salacious stories
From the Collins English Dictionary:
adjective
having an excessive interest in sex
(of books, magazines, etc) erotic, bawdy, or lewd
Maybe you’re the one who needs to look it up. I seem to know exactly what salacious means. Perhaps you should have paid more attention to this one when learning those three languages, nest-ce pa?
And so much for your conciliatory comment from yesterday.
As for speculation, I’m starting to suspect you may be more personally acquainted with this case than you let on.
U r absolutely correct…I’m very invested in the case b/c of the blood we share, but can assure you, this incident has left her crippled, unable to do anything at this point. Do I get angry for her? Yes. And I meant every word of my last posting yesterday….of course I feel bad for “lost lives” irrespective of whose loved one & have utmost compassion for ones mourning, even for your lost. But I don’t stand for disrespect in any shape or form. You disrespected me by making fun of my choice of words…that was personal, had nothing to do w/ Haley or the issue at hand, so I responded to you..My interest in this case will remain until the last day…don’t attack personally. The reason you have a search engine named “goolge” which is now being used as a verb is because of people born where I was.
Fine. However, speaking of disrespect, you’re the one who called my writing salacious — misusing the term — and mocked me repeatedly.
I have no intention of getting into a flame war with you.
As a result, this was your last comment. Any further attempts to comment here will be deleted, and blocked if necessary.
I have allowed you to have your say. Now give it a rest.
We’ll look forward to seeing you at the sentencing.
Ten years in prison won’t bring back Eric Billings.
Sure, it’s cathartic to think about a killer getting her just desserts. But ultimately it’s a distraction from the fact that we could have prevented this death. And we chose not to. And the shame for that is at least partially on us.
“she had previously been charged with speeding over 65 mph and using a hand-held cell phone while driving”. We as a society have decided that it’s no big deal when people speed or drive distracted. We could have suspended the offender’s license until such a time as she learned to drive carefully. But we didn’t do that. Instead, she paid a small fine, got a nudge-nudge-wink-wink lecture, and then we put her back behind the wheel.
And that’s why Eric Billings is dead.
Ok Joe, I know it won’t bring Eric back. Since the typical under the influence driver only gets 3 years in prison, I say let’s take it up a notch. Say 10 years at least, maybe others will take note. And since the last example of texting/drunk and hit IN the bike lane Danae Marie Miler killer of Amine was sentenced to 4 years – she was released in 16 months – I do not consider this “time out” any form of punishment. And hey, Danae had 11 violations on her record…..just sayin.
“the typical under the influence driver only gets 3 years in prison”
No, the typical DUI driver gets no jail time at all. Maybe you meant the typical DUI who causes injury.
“maybe others will take note”
Well, no, increasing the penalty for injuring somebody while drunk (assuming that’s what you meant) isn’t going to impact drunk driving, because the typical drunk driver doesn’t think they’re going to get caught or injure anybody.
The problem isn’t that those who kill aren’t punished adequately. The problem is that those who DON’T kill — the vast majority of dangerous drivers — aren’t punished at all. It’s critical for us to realize that the difference between a dangerous driver who kills, and a dangerous driver who doesn’t, is 100% luck. It makes no sense for us to punish the unlucky dangerous driver and ignore the lucky ones (which is what we are doing now), because no dangerous drivers thinks they’re actually going to hurt someone.
The killings will stop when we start to punish habitual dangerous driving, whether somebody is injured or not. The ideal way to do this is with automated enforcement — send a warning or two, then small penalties, rapidly progressing to license suspension for those who continue to offend.
But even without automatic enforcement, we can still improve over what we have now. The penalty for the second minor offense or the first moderate offense should be an automatic license suspension. Fines don’t make people behave, but having to take the bus sure will. Police don’t have the resources to ticket everybody, but a saturation patrol of a small area will let motorists know that they WILL get caught if they drive dangerously in that area, so they will behave in that area. Once motorists start to behave, that frees up police resources to expand the area of the saturation.
That response is why I most likely will not post again….are you a rider – or just someone who tries to confuse the issue?
Moreover, please leave her education, ethnicity, privacy OUT of this…she has a son for whom she’s responsible. I no longer allow her to read anything comments on any site as it’s all garbage. People that don’t know are commenting about the Tier number of the law school she attended, making fun of her undergrad school, Judging her by the OC Sheriffs release of her photo, stating “just show this pic to the jury case closed.” What does all of this mean? Please STOP making Assumptions about her, her photo, etc. as none of you knows her. A bit of compassion wouldn’t kill any of you & she’s never claimed “poor me” card..Case Closed. How about that? I refuse to see her whereas each time something new and nasty is written about her. At this juncture, someone has created a fake twitter account under her name…shameful. Let her heal & since we have a legal system that is usually fair/just, let’s entrust it. None of what I say or said is to offend OR discount the deceased’s families’ pain and sorrow as this is a tragedy for them and her. God judges, not all of us who are sinners. None of you is perfect..yet have no problem passing judgment on others w/out knowing everything.
Heggi, to the best of my knowledge, no one on here has commented on her education, ethnicity or appearance. The comments have been respectful, while demanding that she be held accountable for her actions.
If you have problems with the actions or comments of others on other websites, complain there.
the driver is my loved one, 10 yrs. really? What gives you the power to render a verdict, would assume your ignorance. With all DUE respect to the deceased families’, you are clueless & nonsensical. I am happy you are not her judge or the jury…this matter is in the hands of our system, which is not as harsh as you. She’s suffered/suffering too, again not to discount the families’ loss. From every angle, it’s a pure tragedy…
I am sorry we are faced w/ such ignorance. The person you are all talking about is my loved one…may I ask “Jeff” if he’s ever had gotten a traffic ticket? May I ask if any of you were in the car w/ her? May I ask if any of you were present when she was attempting to describe her accident, w/ article misquoting her description, leading to ALL of YOU ASSUMING she was stating her CAR had a mind of its own?
Do any of you know if for a fact she was impaired simply b/c the warnings state “MAY” cause…& lastly, do any of you know what she has been thru and how she is feeling now?
No she doesn’t know i wrote this…but at some point, someone must point out leave her alone until the legal system that this Country takes pride in take its course. Or do you not have any faith in YOUR own legal system?
Heggi, perhaps you are unaware that an innocent man was killed, and a family has been left without a father. Your loved one is not the victim here.
As for intoxication, we are not assuming anything, that is what she is charged with, and she was found with powerful medications on her system. And if the article misquoted her, your complaint is with them, not this site or anyone commenting here.
As for faith in our legal system, it continues to allow dangerous drivers to remain on the road until it’s too late, and then — and only then — holds them accountable for their actions.
Rather than complain about those of us who hope the legal system does finally hold your loved one accountable for needlessly taking the life of a human being, you could have taken the keys away when it became apparent she could not drive safely — just as I did when my father-in-law was no longer able to drive safely.
I myself take powerful drugs for a medical condition, but refuse to drive when there is a high enough level of those medications in my system to effect my ability to do so. Instead, I walk, bike or take transit; in fact, I recently moved to a more walkable neighborhood with better access to transit so I would be less reliant on a car.
Driving is not a god-given right. If your loved one was unable to operate a motor vehicle safely, she had a legal and moral obligation to not get behind the wheel. She didn’t, and now a man is dead.
We’re not the problem.
I am not discounting the fact that an innocent and holly man died. That’s tragic. As to announcing “heavy meds” were found doesn’t necessarily equate to impairment and consider she’s had been driving from 16 yrs. to 39 w/out any accidents in her history. Sometimes, accidents occur and it’s just simply an accident, a tragedy. Just b/c prosecution has found meds in her system doesn’t mean she was impaired at impact. I will leave it here with utmost respect for the Deceased’s loved ones.
When I spill the milk, it’s an accident. When a car collides with a human being, it may be a collision or a wreck, but it’s not an accident.
The simple fact is, it’s not easy to have a collision. In order for two vehicles to make contact on the road, someone has to break the law in some way, or drive or ride in a dangerous, distracted or intoxicated manner. If you obey the law and drive safely, and I obey the law and ride my bike safely, we will never collide.
What suggests she was impaired was that she was unable to control her car, and somehow drifted into a marked bike lane at a fast enough speed to kill someone; the presence of meds in her system merely provides evidence to support intoxication.
You can’t say collision of two vehicles is not an accident. Do you know how many drivers (everyday-while driving) get distracted by simply looking in their rear-mirror….BAM. My understanding is after collision, she lost control of her vehicle…not b4 it. Also, I take Lexepro and when I first began taking it, my muscles would feel numb/tired til adjusted. Every med has side effects/half of America is ON something. So, by your view, half of America should not drive. Finally, let’s assume same scenario but no meds were detected, yet a life still lost, what do u think system would do then? NOTHING!!! There would be no criminal charges. I want to reiterate anything I say is NOT to discount that a good man has died. But you can look at it from so many different angles. As an insurance adjuster, I see fatal driving cases daily w/ no crim charges, and in my arena we call them “Accidents.”
And that is why 30,000 Americans are killed on our streets every year. When we excuse collisions as mere “accidents,” we’re saying that no one was responsible and that it couldn’t be avoided, when the simple fact is virtually every collision can be avoided if drivers remember that they are in control of a big, dangerous machine and act accordingly.
So tell me. If she didn’t lose control before the collision, why the hell did her car enter the bike lane and kill an innocent man? If least if she lost control, there’s a reason for it, bad as it may be.
As for medications, it’s very simple. If they affect your ability to drive safely, then don’t. Driving is a privilege, not a right; you don’t have a God-given right to get behind the wheel if you’re not capable of doing it safely, for whatever reason.
I don’t take certain medications if I have to drive; if I do have to take them, then I either stay home of find other ways to get around. It’s far better to be slightly inconvenienced than risk taking an innocent life.
And you’re right. Too often drivers get away with criminal behavior because their actions are excused as mere accidents, whether they were speeding, distracted, driving aggressively, failed to yield or in some other way broke the law. Until we start holding people accountable for their actions behind the wheel, countless others will continue to be maimed, crippled or killed through no fault of their own.
I’ve already had two loved ones killed by intoxicated drivers. Isn’t that enough?
Perhaps not on your site, but others’ have & I did address theirs too. As far as holding her responsible to the fullest extent of the law. She’s being prosecuted, but whatever happens is not for your site to decide…especially, when you are writing “YOUR FACTS” which does not constitute “TRUE FACTS”…
Oddly, I have never claimed that this site, or any other, should decide what happens to any killer driver; that is up to the police, prosecutors and a court of law. However, I, and anyone commenting on this site, am free to agree, disagree or otherwise express an opinion on the matter. If you don’t like that, the problem is yours, not mine.
As for the “true facts,” a fact is, by definition, true. This site has only reported what has previously been reported in the press; if they got the information wrong, then take it up with them. If they have offered a retraction, show it to me and I will be happy to make a correction.
But what facts are you calling into question? That she illegally entered a bike lane and struck an innocent man riding his bike? That she was traveling at a high enough speed to kill him instantly — despite having just made a U-turn? That she was quoted as saying she was unable to control her vehicle, for whatever reason? That she was charged with driving under the influence? That tests showed she had medications in her system that are capable of causing impairment? That she had at least two previous driving infractions?
I certainly understand wanting to defend a loved one. But it takes more love to hold someone you care about accountable for their actions than to excuse their behavior.
Oh, are you suggesting I am her? No, my full name is Hengameh, and hers if Hasti….I go by Heggi, she goes by Haley….you seem to be pretty sharp…2+2=?
I am the one next to her…one that takes her to therapy 3x a wk, the one that takes care of her child, one that posted her bail…one that knows full version of what occurred but can’t say b/c of her attorney…while her DL is valid, she has not driven since the incident..she can’t get behind the wheel…so who do you think has to help her w/ the aftermath of this tragedy?
BikinginLA you’ve got a few things either wrong or skewed here. I knew Eric Billings, I know his widow, I go to church with them. However this situation is really just a horrible accident that the assistant DA seems to be wanting to sensationalize for some reason. I was extremely upset when this happened, but I also took the time to pray about it and then find out the details. So first, you’re mixing what medication Ms. Bayrooti was on and what was in the car. Subuxone is used for Opiate addiction, it doesn’t get you high as far as I know, it blocks the receptors so that taking something like opium won’t get you high and it kills the cravings. That prescription was for someone else. Next, Ms. Bayrooti passed a field sobriety test administered at the time and was allowed to leave with her drivers license intact, and it still is. How would someone who is both high and extremely emotionally distraught pass a field sobriety test? Why did it take 6 months to do blood tests? It all seems rather fishy to me.
You keep making allusions to her going too fast and that is how Billings died. You can fall over from a standing position and die if you hit wrong. Speed hasn’t been sited as an issue in this, it seems you are trying to make it more salacious, as with the suboxone mention. I don’t know if you’ve ridden through that area, but it is very poorly designed, I’ve almost been hit every time I’ve ridden through there and there have been a lot of accidents there.
I wish brother Billings was still alive, but he isn’t, it was a horrible accident, but it was an accident. How many additional lives need to be torn down because of it? I know you don’t have all the information to be able to pass judgement on this woman. I know I have more than you, but I also don’t have it all. Let’s let the justice system process it before we decide she is guilty of a crime.
Shawn, I am not the one who reported what medications she was on, or decided to file a charge of vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. If you question that information, take it up with the police and the Orange County DA’s office.
I am also not mixing up anything. The Daily News reported that she had both medications in her system; their story did not mention any medications found in her car. So again, if you have a problem with that, take it up with them and the deputy DA who gave them the information.
As for the effects of those medications, the information I cited came from the Drugs.com website; I would assume they know far more about them than I do. I also never said that she was high; merely that the two medications she is said to be on can cause drowsiness and dizziness, and that the combination of the two can reportedly cause severe drowsiness — all of which can severely impair a person’s ability to drive safely.
In addition, I have never said that Fakhrai-Bayrooti was intoxicated or that intoxication was the cause of the collision, nor have I ever said she belongs in jail, though some of my readers have I have; merely that that is what she is charged with. However, I did try to make the point as strongly as possible, using this case as an example, that no one should drive while they are impaired by any substance.
As for her being allowed to leave the scene and her license still being intact, police often allow suspects to leave the scene while the investigation continues and make an arrest later, as happened in this case. And the DMV does not revoke a license upon arrest or suspicion of DUI, but upon conviction.
While you are correct that death can occur from a single fall, statistically, someone hit by a car at 20 mph has a 95% chance of survival; that drops to 50% at 30 mph and just 20% at 40 mph. We should also note that reports from the scene indicated that your friend’s bike was badly mangled, that the skid marks from Fakhrai-Bayrooti’s car continued across the bike lane and onto the sidewalk, and that your friend was killed instantly — all of which suggests that the impact occurred with significant force, and implies some degree of speed.
Despite your aspersions, there is nothing salacious about what I have written. I find it curious that you misuse the term in exactly the same way Heggi did, and that your comment came only after I banned her from commenting any further.
I am more than willing to let this case take its course, and let the judge and/or jury conclude whether Fakhrai-Bayrooti is guilty of the charge, and what her sentence should be, if any.
I merely hope she receives the justice she deserves, whatever that may be.
Comment: The speed limit in that area is 50 mph as I recall. Sadly, Eric wasn’t wearing a helmet either. The last time i checked the filing, it said she HAD suboxone in the car, not that it was in her blood. What was in her blood was the prescribed level of Xanax, which about 70% of the people I know are on sadly. The field sobriety test found her to NOT be impaired at the time. The police rely on these field sobriety tests to determine intoxication and impairment.
You keep making leading and suggestive statements as though you have an agenda, in contrast to your “what? me?” style responses. Comments like “the justice she deserves” are telling. The headlines are all about making statements to make you assume something, like saying the medication that was in the car, but not stating it was in her system, to lead you to believe it was in her system. Then you keep talking about skid marks and speed as though that had something to do with it, when that is not known nor alleged as being an issue. You site percentages of chance for injury or death based at various speeds, well those figures have a percentage because there is a chance of it happening, and maybe that was the case here.
You just seem to be trying to whip up a bit of a mob with the way you wrote this up. I don’t see what there is to be gained except to try to generate hatred for this woman. You wouldn’t have covered it the way you did unless that was your purpose. I’ve got a hell of a lot more vested interest that you considering I know the family, I live in the area and I’m a cyclist as well that has almost been hit in that very same spot many times. Yet I’m not stirring the villagers up with their torches like you are when you know nothing but the headlines.
If it were me in your position, seeing the vitriol being stirred up on this post, I’d remove the post and just let it lie until there is a resolution to the case, but that’s me.
Note: I previously deleted this comment, as it appeared to be from someone who had been blocked from further comment on this story, or at the very least, working with her to get around the prohibition.
However, based on this comment, I have restored the comment above, though I will continue to keep comments closed on this story.
I have no problem with anyone disagreeing with anything I have written on this site, but I will not allow this to devolve into a flame war.
Oh, I just noticed you were trying to tie me to that other lady in your post too. I’ve just got an interest in this case because of the proximity to me in my life. I just happened to wonder what was going on with the case today as Billings name came up at church today, so I got home and found this old story and the new comments. I didn’t feel compelled to comment when I first saw you post because there wasn’t much feedback. Today, I felt compelled. I didn’t know you banned that person. I don’t imagine you actually have much traffic on this page that it matters, but I don’t like to see incorrect information getting spread. I deal with that a lot as a mormon and being attacked by anti-mormons
Nice try, Heggi. Any real Mormon would know enough to capitalize the word. I’m blocking this IP address, as well as the one you used before, both on Cox cable.