Ruminations

Blog dedicated primarily to randomly selected news items; comments reflecting personal perceptions

Saturday, May 14, 2011

The Alleged Accident

It was a hit-and-run. And alcohol was involved. The trial is ongoing, and details are slowly emerging. The man charged with the crime, 34-year-old Vlad-Nicolas Precup, had been interviewed by the investigating police on a number of occasions. The police felt fairly confident that this man was the one for whom they were searching. But he denied ever being at the scene of the crime, denied that he would ever do such a thing, denied that it was his vehicle that was involved.

Until, eventually, he denied no further. Admitting that yes, it was his vehicle, yes, he was the driver, but no, he hadn't meant to hit the pedestrian, and wasn't aware until three days later that there had even been an accident involving his vehicle which he was himself driving. It wasn't his fault. He said this and he meant it.

The man whom his vehicle happened to kill was behaving in a most peculiar fashion: "weird". What's a fellow to do, driving in his prized red Mazda RX-8, girlfriend beside him, when a vagabond does something really irritating? And he had his girlfriend's job as a teacher to consider; how would it look for her if he came forward?

Mitchell Anderson, a homeless man, walking with a friend, crossed an intersection when the light changed to green - for the drivers. Crossing the street in front of the Mazda, he brought his hand to his mouth, kissed it and then laid his hand on the hood of the bright red car.

Who did the man think he was? Contaminating someone's vehicle with the imprint of his sweaty hand? Did he think of the kind of life that might have been his if he had been fortunate enough not to live a degraded life on the streets, was instead a responsible individual with a job, a home, driving his own car?

The driver of that red Mazda gunned it, and rammed his vehicle into the body of Mitchell Anderson, sending him flying. It was his right-of-way, after all, the light was with him. And, he testified, he was certain that the man had cleared past his car when he forged forward.Witnesses heard the tires of the red Mazda squeal before it sped off.

A forensic pathologist informed the jury that the victim had a blood-alcohol level of 298 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. He was obviously legally impaired. Had Mr. Anderson been driving a car he would have been in trouble; clearly in no condition to drive, clearly impaired. The man's liver showed signs of chronic drinking.

His motor skills and mental capabilities were obviously not in full working order. Interesting, perhaps. That might explain his "weird" and offensive-to-the-red-Mazda-driver's behaviour. But it is the driver of the car who was not impaired by alcohol who is on trial, not the victim. Mr. Anderson, hit at high speed by Mr. Precup's vehicle is dead, and Mr. Precup sped off.

He repeatedly denied being at the scene, having anything whatever to do with the death of the unfortunate Mr. Anderson. "No man", he told the investigating officers, "I would never do anything like that." But he did. Despite claiming he sped off only aftter believing Mr. Anderson had moved out of his way. Despite claiming he had no idea he had hit anyone.

Mr. Anderson suffered a broken left leg; a typical injury resulting from a pedestrian-vehicle collision. And he died from catastrophic head injuries, including multiple fractures to his skull and bleeding on his brain.

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