WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) -- The City of Wilmington is asking for an extension after man filed a suit against a Wilmington Police officer and the city.
According to a lawsuit filed in New Hanover County, 81-year-old Kenneth Smith was driving his 2002 Oldsmobile on Robin Hood Drive when Wilmington Police officer William Richards ran a red light on 16th Street and hit him. The accident happened December 17, 2008 and left Smith with serious and permanent injuries.
The motion for an extension is still pending.
Hmmm.
fairly cut and dry...running lights doesn't give you the right to run stop signs and stop lights...if you decide to do that and hit someone who has the right of way...YOU are at fault ONE HUNDRED PERCENT of the time!!! PERIOD! Police, Fire and Rescue do NOT have the automatic right of way on red lights...they must come to a COMPLETE STOP at a red light and alert drivers that they want to pass....basically asking for the right of way...this officer caused the accident...PERIOD and the city should pay.
how would you feel if they
how would you feel if they were running lights and sirens for you?
Uh
Huh..and how would YOU feel if you were driving to Sunday School with your family, following the rules of the road and an emergency vehicle ran a red light and killed your family...They help NOBODY if they don't get their SAFELY..leaving death and destruction in your wake on the way to an emergency helps NOBODY. The rules of proceeding thru intersections where you don't have the right of way have been in place A LONG TIME...it's nothing new. You should ABSOLUTELY yield to emergency vehicles...but emergency vehicles have to yield as well.
Happened to me too.
This very same thing happened to me in Wilmington where an officer just had his lights going(no siren) and decided to go through a red light. Having the green light, two cars in front of me slammed on brakes and created a 3 car pile up. Needless to say I was given a ticket and nothing was done to the officer. I'm sure this won't be the last time it happens. Running red lights to get somewhere 5-10 seconds faster isn't worth the risks it creates to other motorists.
Obviously you were
Obviously you were tailgating or you would not have hit the car in front of you. You should maintain a safe distance anytime your vehicle is moving, something that rarely happens in Wilmington. The officer was right to issue you a ticket. Most every time I have seen an emergency vehicle enter an intersection against a red light, they will slow or even stop to make sure everyone sees them. Just because they are running with lights and siren does not give them the right to endanger others that might not be aware of their presence. The officer was completely in the wrong this time if he busted through an intersection on a red light without slowing to make sure he could pass through safely. And, to those who imply that if it were me I would feel differently, I would never expect an emergency vehicle operator to kill someone else to get to me. Afterall, if he gets into an accident, that only delays his arrival to my emergency.
Sure...all well said but....
The attorneys have this one under their armpits, you can rest assured of that. They will drag it out over and over and over again. That 81 year old man will never see a dime! Betcha money on it!
would you feel that way if
would you feel that way if they were on their way to help you??
Have you forgotten that a
Have you forgotten that a few years ago a law went on the books here in NC that requires all people to stop and move off to the side for all public safety vehicles with their lights flashing and sirens off. People need to pay attention when they drive and listen for sirens and look for lights.
Have
you forgotten that your statement and that law has NOTHING to do with what happened in this case?
So, you are saying the man
So, you are saying the man should have stopped at the green light and looked to see if a cop was coming...we should all stop at green lights now and make sure no cops are coming. Obviously the man didn't hear the cop because there were no sirens, just lights. So you mean to say the old man is at fault because he did not stop at the green light and check for cop cars first.
Sorry to burst your bubble
but the City is not calling the shots. Any actions taken by the city which create the impression of negligence on the part of the City could void liability insurance payments when this is finally settled.
Hate to say it but the Insurance Company and their lawyers are calling the shots.
There are a couple of other comments I could make but will not.