Just as Arizona Bike Week is kicking off, one of their main players has had her life tragically stolen from her due to the careless actions of a 22-year-old driver who failed to yield to the right of way.
Kimmy Chapman Lauer was the National Publisher / President of Biker Information Guide and was greatly loved by many in the industry.
Kimmy was riding bitch with her boyfriend, Mark S. Tapp a.k.a. Tapper in Phoenix, Arizona on his Harley-Davidson and as they entered the intersection of Bell Road and North 43rd Avenue, a driver failed to yield and pulled in front of the bike. The inattentive driver caused the untimely death of Kimmy and Tapper is now in critical condition -- yet in spite of this, law enforcement is currently saying that the driver will not be charged with any crime!
I freely admit to not being a lawyer, but when I learned that the driver would not be charged because the police were claiming the driver didn't intend to commit the crime, I immediately thought of vehicular manslaughter. Perhaps the fine law enforcement folks in Phoenix might want to refresh their memory as to what vehicular manslaughter is:
Vehicular manslaughter is a class C felony which holds people liable for any death which occurs because of criminal negligence, or a violation of traffic safety laws.
The driver violated the traffic safety laws by not yielding to the oncoming traffic who had the right of way, killed one woman, critically injured a man, and yet he's not even getting so much as a citation.
After writing this article, and having it come fresh off the heels of the one I wrote for Dallas covering an alleged drunk driver that was allowed out of jail for a pittance after killing two bikers, I seriously have to wonder if bikers are being subjected to cultural profiling.
Think about it: How often are wreckless or drunk drivers careening into motorcyclists, killing or injuring them, and the drivers are allowed to walk away with a mere slap on the wrist. If a minority race was being subjected to this there would be an outcry from the ACLU and every other like-minded person or organization. But it's not a minority race, it's happening to people that have chosen to be part of the motorcycling lifestyle and time after time in situations throughout the U.S., our lives are deemed less worthy and the culprits are not held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.
What can we, as a cultural group do to demand fair justice for our motorcycling brothers and sisters whose voices have been forever silenced? Give us your feedback by leaving a comment below!
Comments