St. Louis bicyclists protest lenient sentence of killer motorist

The Riverfront Times has an exceptionally well written piece about the issues surrounding the death of bicyclist Mike Katz and the lenient sentence received by the driver--a repeat offender many times over:

Outside the Creve Coeur courthouse that August evening, about a dozen people gathered to protest what they felt was an extremely lenient punishment. Organized by the St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation, the group wore white T-shirts that said "I Am Michael Katz" in black letters. One member held a sign that read, "Failure to keep a proper lookout + Dead Cyclist = Manslaughter."

"We felt that the decision that the county prosecutor has made not to pursue a charge of negligent homicide in this case is typical of a prevailing attitude, that inattention on the part of motorists is excusable," says Russ Willis, a member of the Bicycle Federation's board of directors. "Cyclists do have a right to be on the road, essentially the same rights as motor vehicles, the way they're described in the state statutes."

"At the risk of sounding like Matlock," says past federation chairman Bob Foster, "it seems to me that if you admit you weren't paying attention, and someone is dead, why isn't this negligent homicide? It seems the punishment doesn't seem to fit the crime and that there's no real consequences for careless and inattentive driving."

"When someone's driver's license has been suspended, there does not seem to be a mechanism to enforce the suspension, such as an ankle bracelet," says Susan Katz, Michael's widow. "Had this guy not been out on the road, he wouldn't have killed anybody."

The past year has been particularly brutal for St. Louis-area bicyclists. In June, Jeremy Rowlatt of Ballwin was killed when his bike was hit by a pickup truck on Highway T. The driver, Earl Anderson of Overland, allegedly fled the scene and is charged with involuntary vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, leaving the scene of an accident and driving with a revoked license. (Anderson was arraigned on Friday, September 15.)

In August three cyclists participating in the annual Moonlight Ramble ride were injured by a hit-and-run driver who, according to a witness, did it intentionally. The driver of the car, who police believed had been kicked out of midtown's Loft Jazz Club, was never caught. . . .

Michael Katz is survived by two children and by Susan Katz, his wife of 42 years, who delivered a heartfelt eulogy at her husband's gravestone dedication in June.

"I hope that Mike's life will continue to inspire all of us to take an interest in each other, to be kind as we go about our daily activities, to drive carefully and omit distractions, like using a cell phone while handling a 3,000-pound piece of machinery," she said at Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery in Chesterfield.

Read the rest of the story here.

MoBikeFed Vice-President Laurie Chipman attended the Traffic Justice Institute at the recent Pro-Bike/Pro-Walk conference.

MoBikeFed has several times proposed legislation with more appropriate penalties for drivers whose carelessness or negligence injures or kills.