A little while ago, I read a story that breaks my heart. Raquel Nelson, a single mother from Marietta, GA, has been living through a nightmare. On April 10, 2010, she and her three children got off at a bus stop across from their apartment. They then attempted to cross a four-lane highway, and were struck by a van. Nelson's 4-year-old son, A.J., was killed.
This in itself would be a tragedy most would not be able to endure. But the legal system decided to make it much worse. Because Nelson did not use a crosswalk, the nearest of which was more than a quarter of a mile away, she was charged with second-degree vehicular homicide, reckless conduct, and failure to use a crosswalk. On July 12, she was convicted of these charges, and faced more prison time than the man driving the van.
Yes, that's right! Jerry Guy, the driver of the van that killed Nelson's son, served 6 months in prison for hit-and-run and was released on Oct. 29, and serving 5 years probation. But Guy has two prior convictions for hit-and-run, and served half of a two year sentence for those convictions. Hearing that, I don't see how anyone could attempt to convict her of more time than a man who obviously doesn't belong behind the wheel of anything.
Nelson was eventually sentenced to 40 hours of community service and a year probation, but the fact that she was charged at all makes me angry. I understand that using a crosswalk is the law, but the fact that it was so far away, and previously complained about by residents of the same apartment complex, should have brought extenuating circumstances into play. Plus, Raquel Nelson already has to deal with the fact that her son is dead. How is charging her for this accident, which occurred at the hands of a known reckless driver, considered justice?
And we wonder why faith in the system is so badly shaken.
Marcus Jamison, the Rare Poet
