Remember that accident in San Francisco, where a speeding cyclist plowed through a crowded crosswalk and fatally struck a 71-year-old pedestrian in the Castro?It took nearly three months, but authorities have determined that the guy on the bike was grossly negligent in the death of Sutchi Hui.
Last week, 36-year-old Chris Bucchere was charged with felony vehicular manslaughter. Today in court, he pled not guilty: Bicyclist who ran down man, 71, pleads not guilty.
Prosecutors said they had charged Bucchere with vehicular manslaughter, a felony that carries a maximum six-year prison sentence if convicted, because his riding exhibited gross negligence before he crashed into Sutchi Hui on March 29.It apparently took this long to charge Bucchere because authorities were tracking down and gathering interviews from over ten witnesses.
District Attorney George Gascón said witnesses and surveillance-camera footage showed that Bucchere had run several stop signs before hitting Hui as he tried to beat a personal speed record on a ride that began in the Marin Headlands.
Prosecutors also believe Bucchere wrote about the crash in an online forum, where a posting that allegedly originated from his e-mail address read, "I was already way too committed to stop. ... I couldn't see a line through the crowd and I couldn't stop, so I laid it down and just plowed through the crowded crosswalk in the least-populated place I could find."
The most tragic thing about Hui's death is that it was completely avoidable. The charge seems appropriate. More here: San Francisco Cyclist Pleads Not Guilty In Pedestrian’s Death.