An 18-year-old driver was fined $42 for hitting and killing a cyclist in Kirkland, Washington by local authorities.
John Przychodzen was riding his bike from work when he was struck by an 18-year-old driver of a pickup truck who veered sharply onto the shoulder of the road.
Kirkland police investigating the case concluded that the accident was a tragic accident, but an attorny for the victim's family says the teen driver struck Przychodzen twice.
"In fact, one of the witnesses claims after he was hit, he immediately yelled out, 'What the' -- before the truck struck him again and then ran over him," said, said Chris Davis, an attorney for Przychodzen's family.
According to KIROTV:
"After months of investigation, King County prosecutors decided there was no reason to charge the driver with vehicular homicide. Police decided the driver would face a $42 fine for changing lanes unsafely."
"Unfortunately, unless a person's driving recklessly, they're intoxicated, (on) drugs or alcohol, then there's really no criminal charge on this," said Detective Allan O'Neill of the Kirkland Police Department.
"Clearly, he was distracted," said Davis. "And it is consistent in my experience, with a driver using a cell phone."
KIROTV goes on to report that, "At the request of Przychodzen's family, Davis is launching a lawsuit, demanding the driver's cell phone records so he determine if the collision was a mistake -- or something more."
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