Comments by "GH1618" (@GH-oi2jf) on "Trucker’s 110-Year Sentence for Deadly Accident Sparks Outrage" video.

  1. It is inaccurate to say “his brakes failed,” as if the brakes were in control of the situation. The driver destroyed the brakes by misuse, or, if they were not properly working when he took the truck, erred in driving it in that condition.
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  2. Drivers of heavy trucks don’t depend on their brakes to control their speed on a downgrade, they depend on their gears and their skill in using them properly.
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  3. Wood. It burns.
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  4. There were convictions on 27 counts. Which one do you mean? The vehicular homicide charges were pretty straightforward. He caused the death of four people and he was clearly negligent.
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  5. In what state?
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  6. Keep in mind that the length of the term was not the judge’s choce. It was a consequence of minimum sentencing laws which take discretion away from judges.
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  7. Two years is normal. Defendants routinely waive their right to a speedy trial because a delay helps them as much as the prosecution.
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  8. Murderers usually do not get sway with it.
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  9. He was negligent in several ways. He probably destroyed his brakes by using his gears improperly. I’ve read one report that said he had stopped with smoking brakes, then went on. It appears that he just didn’t know how to take a heavy truck down a long grade.
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  10. He is “white.” “Cuban” is not a color. “Hispanic” is not a color or a “race.”
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  11. He is “white.”
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  12. A heavy truck has a big advantage over cars in that regard.
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  13. Was that the case in Colorado? It was definitely the truck driver’s fault. I recall that the governor let him off. He intervened too soon. The sentence may have been too severe, but there was plenty of room and time for a more appropriate sentence.
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