Last week, a man and his 16 year old girl were riding a motorcycle not far from my neighborhood.  Neither of them were wearing helmets.  This guy, Chris, was an experienced rider who rode all the time. 
 
There was no alcohol or drugs involved.  It was daylight, clear weather, with no obstructions.  Chris and his daughter, Alyssa, were travelling straight through an intersection and a Jeep heading the other direction was waiting to turn left.  The driver of the Jeep said he never saw the bike.  Witnesses said that he just pulled out and ran over the bike. 
 
Alyssa landed on the back of her neck.  She was pronounced brain-dead at the scene.  Chris was coherent for about 5 minutes, then took a sharp decline.  He died 15 minutes later.  Police said they would have died even if they had worn helmets.
 
I know about this accident only because Alyssa was a good friend of one of my sons.  We went to the memorial service this weekend.  My kids are processing it and are doing fine.  (They're much more mature at their age than I was.)
 
The driver of the Jeep received a ticket for an improper lane change.
 
That's all.  Two people died, and he only got a ticket.  I've gotten in more trouble with parking permits.
 
Fortunately, the Government is able to accurately asses the value of human life.  2 of them are worth $75. 

horrible, law is so stupid sometimes these days...
for smoking pot you can get a jail time while stealing on big scale like on Wall St
you get bonuses...

Sorry to hear that Bubba. My deepest sympathies to all.

Justice will be served....if not in this life, surely in the next.

(The Gov. is a whole another can of worms......)

I understand your frustration, but that's not nearly the end of it.

The "government" in this case was probably only a city officer.  the city police department will not (and should not) be the final "evaluation" of their lives.

Wrongful death in civil courts would likely be the best venue for this type of human "evaluation" of their lives.

Insurance will also be highly involved.  If he received a ticket for it then he is at fault for the accident.  Insurance companies will now negotiate over coverage and how little they can get away with, but it will still be a much bigger sum than $75.

I'm sorry for you son's friend's and her father's life.  That is a great tragedy and it sounds obvious that the driver of the Jeep was at fault.  I offer my prayers to all involved.

It's the same here in New York. The cops have no interest whatsoever in prosecuting reckless drivers whose carelessness leads to death. 

A couple of years ago I stumbled across a horrible scene on the Upper East Side: a young woman's body, in two halves, lying on the road. She'd been crossing with the light, when a dump truck came speeding around the corner and, instead of yielding, just swung it right around on top of her. Witnesses said he was driving like a "bat out of hell." 

The driver wasn't charged with anything related to her death. He got a ticket for driving on a suspended license. It happens all the time. Drivers barrel around corners without looking or yielding to pedestrians, and they kill them. A nice old lady got killed by a truck as she crossed the road in the Village the other day. The driver didn't yield for her, cut right in front of her and she went under the back wheels as it came around. Driver wasn't charged with anything. Not even a ticket. 

It's laziness on the part of law enforcement. For them to bring the case to court, they'd have to do a full investigation, interview witnesses, seek out possible camera footage, measure skid marks, do a reconstruction, vehicle forensics etc. Rather than do that, they can tick the box that says "accident," and so they do. 

Absolutely right, Mesh. 

Sadly, the family's finances are not sufficient to hire a lawyer.  Chris was a self-employed auto mechanic who had been out of work for several months.  As a result, the family's savings are very low.  I'm sure many here can relate to that situation.  Unfortunately, he didn't have life insurance, either.

Chris was a very good guy who helped other people in the neighborhood and in his church whenever they needed something.  The church is rallying to take care of his widow and oldest daughter (she turns 18 in a few days).  At the memorial service, the church was overfilled.  The sanctuary was crowded to the point that there was no standing room.  The remaining crowd watched remotely in the gym.  Both Chris and Alyssa were well loved and respected by all who knew them.  We are all hoping and praying that support continues to come in to meet their needs.

Thanks for your prayers for the family.  They are appreciated.

UB,

If there is somewhere I can make a donation please let me know. It's the least I can do.

Very sad... the faith of mom and the oldest daughter will be crucial...

The value of life, even here in the U.S., has become very cheap.

As a lifelong motorcyclist this is, so unfortunately, not at all an unusual story.  I agree with Beags...and there are many lawyers who only take a percentage of any settlement with no upfront costs.  So sorry to hear of this tragic loss.