Really? Criminal mischief?

Mental issues for sure will be the defense. Honestly, not knowing her and the situation, I can't form an opinion strong enough either way. "Weasel out of it"? Maybe, maybe not. My guess is these hard and fast condemnations would be a bit softer if you actually knew her.

I've always thought that if one could observe how someone else lived their life, and how that person was raised, actions like this would make sense. Not that the decision was the right one, or that you'd agree with how that person lived their life. Just that perhaps the crazy choice wouldn't seem so crazy.

 

After being 20+ years as a cop, 15+ years as a medic, and a few years as a firefighter, I have seen enough of the results of crap like this, that I have zero sympathy for the person that does something like this! I've spent way too much time trying to mitigate the damage done by these people.
Obviously, this woman was mentally unstable. But that does not change the outcome of her actions to the people who are affected by it. I've seen how surviving family members are torn apart over suicides.

 

Maybe I worded it a little strongly. I just hate to see someone whose unhappy with their life having to take someone innocent down with them. Whose to say if the driver will ever recover from that? That rollover could have easily killed the driver, who again, was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

 

You're absolutely right. I agree wholeheartedly. And no amount of jail time, or monetary punishment will fix those problems. Should she have to pay for the damages? She should, yes. She should do everything in her powers to set right the monetary and mental damages she created.
But I don't think jail time would serve any use in this case.

 

I certainly don't mean to imply that she shouldn't be held accountable. And I can't imagine how I'd feel if I were put into the shoes of the truck driver. Had she killed the trucker and survived, I don't think I'd have much sympathy. But as it is, if I were that truck driver, I'd want to have a good long talk with that woman. She'd surely know how angry I was, and MAYBE I'd get some sense as to why she did it. I'm NOT saying she should walk away scott-free but I don't feel like justice would be served by jail time.

 

People need to know there are consequences for their actions. Even blithering idiots can understand that there are things you just don't do, because of unpleasant consequences.
One thing I used to see all the time, was the "diminished capacity" defense. Where the defense claims that the dirt bag would not have "normally" done something, but was under the influence of drugs or booze. Uh-NO. That person CHOSE to be under the influence of drugs or booze. But I've seen it get people reduced sentences on more than one occasion.

 

Your correct, there should always be consequences for such actions & never getting off free.

 

I just hope the driver is alright and is made whole, that kinda colision can take a guy out for years.

Looking at that colision he did what anyone would do but I think he would have been better off holding the lane. Never ever swerve, hold the lane and brace yourself, you've got 70 foot of truck your not going to get away.

She should be charged with atempted murder.

 

I've been there done that personally suicide is never an easy thing to deal with, somebody who hasn't dealt with one will NEVER know what actually happens to the surviving family and how it's been ripped apart. I've seen it, lived it, still live with it daily. Don't take this the wrong way, but don't talk about seeing family members torn apart unless you've lived it. NO words will ever describe what a family goes through. It's been 6 years and I still wake up nearly nightly screaming. I had a close family who I used to talk to weekly I havn't spoken with them or seen most of them since the funeral.

I agree with this statement, there are other ways of accomplishing the goal that are more effective and don't involve an innocent stranger having to deal with a feeling of guilt.

Diminished capacity is a way of saying they knew what they were doing they just don't want to own up to it. I've done many things I'm not proud of, Each time I knew exactly what I was doing, and what the consequences were. Diminished capacity has no bearing. Using mental illness is NOT a defense either I don't care what any moronic shrink says. How can I say I know this? Because I've dealt with it for more than half of my life. Now with that being said I will say it doesn't help matters that up until a few years ago mental illness was NOT recognized by most insurance companies and not understood, when statistically speaking over half of all Americans will deal with a mental illness at some point in time in their lives or another, and almost every american knows or sees somebody daily that deals with a mental illness (knowingly or unknowingly). Furthermore if you really want to get technical, mental illness is more common than cancer...yet it still isn't accepted, but if you look into it there are many similarities to cancer and mental illness. I'm not here to argue, but there's a fine line when it comes to talking about this subject that shouldn't be crossed, especially by somebody who has never dealt with or experienced what it's like to see somebody self destruct, go through the downward spiral, and crash and burn...or by somebody who doesn't know what it's like to look at things that used to bring you joy and have nothing more than an empty worthless hopeless feeling 24/7/365. Most people who will comment on this have no idea what it's like to have bad days and worse days, or walk through a living hell 24/7/365, my wife still asks me if I'm just having a bad day she'll never know what it's like I don't fault her for it. I can sympathize with the way she felt but that still doesn't mean I condone her actions.

We all know there's consequences for our actions even somebody with a mental illness knows that, it's not a matter of brains as you're making it out to be, nor am I condoning what she did in any way shape or form, what I am saying is she knew what she was doing, I'm also saying she should be fully punished to the maximum amount that she can be as she fully knew what she was doing just as anybody else did, but I can also understand where she's coming from, I walk in a similar set of shoes every day, difference is I've lived with it for so #### long I've learned to deal with it and cope with the situations life hands me.

 

Sorry to see that. But as I said, I've seen it first hand, way too many times. I rolled up on a head-on, between a Datsun 240Z and a big rig. Of course I didn't know it at first, because of the amount of destruction. But the woman driving the Z was a family friend.Later learned she and her husband had a big fight. She screamed YOU'LL NEVER SEE ME AGAIN! ran out the door, jumped in her car and took off. A witness to the accident said it was obvious that she hit that truck deliberately.
She left behind, a husband and two kids, one in high-school, a classmate of my son, and one in early elementary school. The high-school girl went from being an honor roll student to a druggie. Dad finally shot himself. The little boy seemed to be the only one of the family that was able to handle it all. He went to live with a family member half way cross country, and we lost track of him.
This was just one of many, many that I saw. This however was the worst for me personally as it affected my family as well.