Check this story out:
911 tape leads to driver's acquittal
A Prior Lake woman was absolved of a careless driving charge in the collision death of a motorcyclist after her brakes failed.
By Emily Johns, Star Tribune
Last update: November 20, 2007 – 12:08 AM
Kathleen Racine of Prior Lake pleaded with the 911 dispatcher.
"My brake's stuck, I can't stop the car," she said at the beginning of the 8½-minute call that ended with her flying into a Lakeville intersection and killing the city's street superintendent, who was on a motorcycle with his wife.
"Oh, I'm going towards it -- oh, no. Now I'm going 20 miles an hour -- now I'm going 25 -- oh, no!" she yelled, as the conversation got more intense. "I can't stop ... . My God! My God! My God!"
On Wednesday, a Dakota County judge acquitted Racine of a misdemeanor charge of careless driving, more than two years after her car ran a red light at the intersection of Kenwood Trail and 185th Street in Dakota County and killed Rodney Rippentrop, riding the motorcycle with his wife, Katherine.
"The 911 call is the whole story," said Racine's attorney, John Brink. "That's it, beginning to end."
On Sept. 10, 2005, Racine was driving west on Eagle Creek Road in Prior Lake. After a few minutes, she noticed she was unable to stop her car no matter how hard she pressed on the brakes. An inspection of the car later showed a pebble had caused the throttle to stick open.
What followed was a harrowing conversation with a Scott County dispatcher as Racine tried to use the parking brake -- and even put her car in neutral -- to no avail. The court record indicates the brakes on the car likely overheated to the point that they could no longer stop the vehicle.
She suffered a broken ankle in the crash, likely from pressing so hard on the brakes.
For Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom, the case was worth prosecuting because Racine "had almost 10 minutes to get her car off of the road ... without causing any significant injuries."
Backstrom referred to the 911 call, when the dispatcher asked Racine what would happen if she turned her car off, and suggested that she drive off the road.
"It's a tragic situation," Backstrom said. "I can understand how the defendant was frightened and scared -- anybody would be. But the simple fact of the matter is, when you get behind the wheel of a car you have to be able to respond to emergencies."
In her ruling, Dakota County District Judge Patrice Sutherland said there were telephone poles, metal signs, trees, ditches, steep inclines and houses lining the side of the road, and that it was "impossible for Racine to leave the roadway with any chance of survival by the time the dispatcher suggested that option."
Brink said that Racine was elated with her acquittal.
"She is heartbroken" over the accident, he said. "This has been a terrible stress, she is very, very happy" about the verdict.
Emily Johns • 612-673-7460
Emily Johns •
ejohns@startribune.com
© 2007 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.
************************************************** ****
A couple things came to mind:
ALMOST TEN MINUTES and it occurs to no one- driver or dispatcher- to SHUT THE DAMN IGNITION OFF until it's too late?!??? I'd have had the engine off and the vehicle pulled to the side before the brakes had a chance to get warm.
The driver said "her brakes stuck" but it was the throttle that was stuck!!!!!!!!! Now class, who knows the difference between the throttle and the brakes????
What kind of person has the presence of mind to dig for a phone, dial a number, and start yapping in the middle of losing control of the vehicle they are "operating"?????????? A clueless, hysterical person that is not mentally equipped to operate a vehicle, that's what kind.
Why would putting the car in neutral not work- faded brakes or not??? If ya can't hit the ditch, ya can't. But she could have taken the acceleration away, put the 4-way flashers on, and laid on the horn as she blasted through the intersection.
Me thinks the dispatcher doesn't know how to drive. And the judge doesn't know how to drive either.
I hope she lost her license although there is no mention of it. Can't see how she earned one in the first place. She was 50 years old at the time- no mention of any handicaps.
************************************************** ****
OK so I think she's too dumb to live (gawd i hope she didn't have 9 kids).
Moving on, are we satisfied with our system and level of driver's training?
I mean, if it's slow enough, like ya said it'll squeek and stop, but I don't think it'll be that controlled at 50+mph.
Linear Mode
