DA: Fatal hit-run driver claimed he'd swerved to avoid a skunk
Colin Ratiu of Roslindale was ordered held in lieu of $7,500 bail at his arraignment today on charges he ran down a scooter driver on Tremont Street in Roxbury, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports.
Prosecutors said Ratiu hit Andrew Prior, who was riding a scooter, on Nov. 14, then kept driving toward Brigham Circle as Prior lay dying. Assistant District Attorney David Bradley told Roxbury District Court Judge David Poole that Ratiu had told somebody who noticed the extensive front-end damage on his SUV that "he swerved to avoid a skunk and then hit something and then took off without stopping."
Ratiu was arrested on Friday after police found his SUV in his driveway with damage "consistent with striking a human," Bradley said.
Innocent, etc.
Comments
I think I smell a rat
Hitting something or causing an accident and driving off is not the divine right of massholes - it is a criminal act colloquially known as hit and run.
Maybe we should start banning
Maybe we should start banning cars
No need to ban cars, just
No need to ban cars, just make it so that the license means something.
In some countries, besides the rigorous driving test, the lengthy (hour long) written test, they also conduct a PSYCHOLOGICAL test, and even a drug test.
In the USA?
"What does red mean when shown on a traffic signal?
a) Warning
b) Proceed
c) Stop
d) Slow down"
Get 30 out of 36 right? Congrats, you're set for life! It's not like laws change or anything.
Well in MA, red means some of
Well in MA, red means some of the blood from the pedestrian you just splattered got on your windshield. So, (b).
In MA, the fatality rate per
In MA, the fatality rate per mile driven is lower than anywhere else in the country. As of 2008, half that of many states.
I smell BS
To stray (slightly) from the topic.. @Anon - where did you get this statistic? I'd love to see some legitimate documentation on the info you provided.
Here you go
Here you go.
Synopsis:
Fatalities Rate per 100 Million Vehicle Miles Traveled
MA = .67
US average = 1.26
That's pretty close to half
I hear you but
I agree but what countries do everything you talk about including a drug test? Certainly not European countries with their liberal drug laws.
"liberal" drug laws
Drive with a BAC higher than 0.02 in several Euro countries (0.05 in most)and you can be fined. More impaired persons are jailed and have their license taken away.
http://www.ehow.com/list_6735927_european-drunk-driving-laws.html
Thats right, the USA has the
Thats right, the USA has the highest allowed BAC level in the world.
It's really stupid, the police say "dont drink and drive" and "buzzed driving is drunk driving" but the law says "you can drink up to .08" which IS buzzed driving.
And Brazil does drug tests in some states, Argentina as well. Brazil also does the physiological test.
It's Even Worse
Fully half of my learner's permit questions had to do with civil penalties for junior operators who drive with too many people in their cars. I actually failed it the first time because, like a dope, I'd studied the rules of the road.
MA licensing
Take never-changing 10 question test on paper, 5 questions having to do with junior operator stuff and not road rules.
Parallel parking ceremony.
Same in california, half the
Same in california, half the test are rules for those 16-18.
Ratiu back in court again today
This time in West Roxbury District Court to answer a charge that police found a "climate-controlled closet" with marijuana growing in it when they searched his Roslindale home, the Suffolk County DA's office says.
Innocent, etc.
Keep the Focus
I hope the focus stays on the hit and run and not this silly charge
Alleged lying not working out for this guy
Also charged today in connection with the alleged grow room: Ratiu's wife, Sade Holliday. According to the DA's office:
Ratiu's bail was set at $500 after he pleaded innocent today. Holliday was released on her own recognizance.
Oh, really!!!
As if this:
would really hold up in court!
What a sham!