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Man with two OUI convictions charged with plowing through light, hitting bicyclist, cop
By adamg on Mon, 07/25/2011 - 2:46pm
A Jamaica Plain man with two drunk-driving convictions was charged with a third OUI offense after he allegedly disregarded a "No Turn on Red" sign in the Back Bay and hit and dragged a bicyclist in the crosswalk - then hit a cop as he was pulling over - the District Attorney's office reports.
Neither the bicyclist nor the Boston police officer were seriously hurt in the July 21 incident, the DA's office says.
According to prosecutors, Vinodkumar Patel, 58, was driving a 2003 GMC Yukon north on Mass. Ave. around 5 p.m.:
A Boston Police officer working traffic operations saw him stop short in traffic as he travelled northbound on Massachusetts Avenue about 100 feet from the traffic signal at Boylston Street. Patel then allegedly started up again and travelled through a red light onto Boylston. The intersection features a sign marked "No turn on red."
As he turned, Patel allegedly struck a cyclist who was stopped in the crosswalk and dragged her and her bicycle short distance until the officer stopped him. Boston EMS responded to the scene and treated the woman for abrasions to her lower legs; she declined any further medical attention.
As the officer cleared a traffic cone from in front of the vehicle Patel was driving, Patel allegedly struck him while maneuvering to the curb.
The cop detected the odor of alcohol and ordered Patel out of the vehicle for field sobriety tests, all of which he failed, the DA's office says. He was charged with OUI as a third offense and operating with a suspended license. He also received tickets for crosswalk and no-red-turn violations.
Innocent, etc.
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Comments
And what's going to happen to him?
He'll be back on the roads driving in a week trying for #4.
typo
Adam, what is an "OUT offense"? {insert wise-ass comment here}
Three strikes and you're OUT?
Fixed!
I'm eagerly awaiting the
I'm eagerly awaiting the Mayor's announcement of aggressive programs to crack down on "Right on Red" violators.
not just the program..
..but also the Name of the program.. I'm guessing he'll call it "riding red" or little red riding hood.
Good thing he hit the cop, too
Otherwise, he'd be back on the road with massholio cheering him on for nearly killing a cyclist.
Shouldn't there be a penalty
Specifically for hitting two people with a car?
I know he's getting OUI and operating with a suspended license, but what about the actual harm he could have done? Both the cyclist and the cop were so lucky, but it seems like there needs to be a punishment for hitting people (vehicular assault) above and beyond being drunk and driving without a valid license.
And c'mon, what's up with that? If we take people's licenses and they drive anyway, don't we need to make the punishment stiffer? like jail time or impounding their car? Can't drive with a suspended license if you're in jail or lost your car.
hmm
Did a little sleuthing on a third offense and it turns out that the state DOES take your car on conviction, and your license for 8 years, so maybe there's some hope that they'll keep him off the roads for a while.
Criminals don't care if they have no license.
They still drive.
Until they're caught, right?
Since pretty much everything's computerized, if the criminal driving without a license is pulled over by a cop for whatever reason(s), the unlicensed criminal's name comes up in a computer, and they stand a far better chance of being caught nowadays, which they deserve.
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Drunks just get a relative to register a car for them or similar, and keep on driving without a license.
Why do you think there are so many people a dozen(!) or more OUI convictions?