When it comes to stupidity, I know no merrits. I hate stupid people and lame systems. So a person who should have yielded to a bicycle, kills a guy driving it, and he gets $114 fine? WTF? Where are we? And the excuse? "There was oncoming traffic on the road from the other direction" WOW !!! and WOW again!!! The law clearly sais that if you are passing the vehicle in front of you traveling in the same direction, it has THE right of way !!! http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/drivers/docs/e-handbook.pdf Pages 25,26, 46...
SUMMIT - The driver who killed a bicyclist on father's day received a traffic ticket and a fine of $114 as punishment for the crash. The bicyclist's widow told police she though the punishment should have been harsher.
Brett Netke was an avid bicyclist who was struck by a car on Highway 18 on June 20, 2010. Summit Police say the driver of the striking vehicle, Sam Weirick, attempted to pass the bicyclist but was unable to do so because of oncoming traffic. They say Weirick hit Netke from behind.
Netke has three children. Summit Police Officer Mike Sterwald, who responded to the scene, said, "A lot of the first responders there are fathers ourselves. I guess we took it really hard ourselves that this had taken place on father’s day and then found out he did have children at home.”
However, police investigated the case and gave the information to the Waukesha County District Attorney's office. District Attorney Brad Schimel reviewed the case and recommended a traffic ticket because he said he could not prove there was evidence of a crime if the case had been charged in court.
"We did investigate it quite thoroughly – cell phone records and other witnesses and didn’t feel there was any kind of distraction," said officer Sterwald.
Summit Police say Netke's widow was upset that the case was not charged as a criminal court matter.
The Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin said they are glad that authorities took action in this case. They say a bicyclist death earlier this summer in Iowa County Wisconsin has not resulted in any punishment at all. "“Bicyclists are looking to be treated equally under the law and we’re happy in this case that a ticket has been issued but it does not replace a loss of life,” said executive director Kevin Hardman.