The parties injured, especially the wife will never be whole again because of the severity affecting her speech, thoughts, and mobility. Her husband also has post issues. These were very experienced cyclists and belong to the Villages cycling club. There is a civil law suit underway already and my guess is she will die in jail possibly and everything she has may go to the injured. She deserved it especially after her statement "I am sorry, I should have stayed homes that day" SERIOUSLY!!!! maybe "I'm sorry I injured this couple and left the scene of the accident". Her lawyer asked if she could go home to straighten out her affairs and the judge replied "she had 2 years to do that". Handcuffs on.....Happy Holidays!

She didn't get 5 years for hitting them. She got 5 years for hitting them, stopping and getting out and seeing the carnage and getting back in and driving away. Then, if that's not bad enough she sent the car out of town to be repaired and dyed her white hair brown. Hitting them was an accident, driving away, hiding the car and changing her appearance was calculated. A young woman's life has been destroyed, so has her husbands. I hope they are well compensated.

what she did is an example of how some people in our country believe they can skirt the laws in our country and get away with it. She needs to be in jail longer for what she did may these poor people killed rest in peace

Depends on the state.

I don't yet know how the system works in Florida but UpNort an inmate is routinely billed for room and board while incarcerated. Depending on the state they can garnish wages, freeze assets, and do clawbacks if the inmate tried to hide assets by giving them away or establishing trusts. They may also be able to recoup medical costs. Generally neither Medicare nor Medicaid will pay for medical services while incarcerated, and as far as I know private insurance won't either: one of the reasons medical services in prison are pretty basic.

Had a client once who did just short of a year in jail on an assault and battery conviction. He was incensed as h3ll when he got the bill for his stay, and even more so when he found out that just not paying it back didn't work. His wages were garnished and his tax refunds (Federal and State) were gobbled up each year.

airstreaminggypsy.....you are so RIGHT! Everything you said - leaving the scene was her downfall. This couple will never recover from this physically and mentally. She got what she deserved.

Getting hit from behind is the fault of the bicyclists? I'm afraid we have no common ground on this issue.

Joe

5 years for the damage done and her actions after the fact is barely adequate. The victims in this case will suffer lifetime repercussions and I feel much more sympathy for them than the driver.

I don't think that physical condition is the issue here. There are inevitable declines that come with age, and those declines happen to all of us. Things like slower reaction times, narrowing peripheral vision, Various impairments in hearing and vision, ongoing decline in depth perception, impaired judgment (a biggie), etc. etc. all go to making drivers more dangerous to themselves and others as age progresses.

I am 75 and can play singles tennis for two hours--3.5 - 4.0 level (though age is having an effect there). I also play golf (use a pull-cart), engage in archery, help with farm work, etc. I weigh six pounds more than I did when I graduated high school. I believe I am in better physical condition than most men here my age, and many younger, but I stopped driving at night two years ago, and drive during the day only in good weather and on roads I am familiar with. I recognized the inevitable deterioration that advancing age has on my driving skills and have no wish to put myself or others at risk in the road.

Coleman is a Federal Prison. She will serve time in a State Prison as her crime was prosecuted under state law.

Right there is the problem. If you believe a neighbor in his nineties is as sharp with reactions and reflexes as someone in their sixties and even seventies, you’re not being realistic. I don’t care how “sharp” they are.

If she stayed at the scene they would’ve still had the same injuries.

They gave her 5 years not for the injuries but for leaving the scene.

If there is some evidence that she was drunk or driving recklessly I will change my mind.

I believe she deserves some punishment but at 91 and with no criminal history 5 years is a death sentence.

I really believe there was more behind the sentencing than just the crime.
I wonder if she was driving an old Toyota Corolla if she would’ve gotten this much time.

It's a travesty all around but I think people are suicidal riding bikes around the TV. Join a gym.

Five years is most likely a death sentence, but she was pretty calculated in her moves after the accident. Looks like you have to serve 85% of the sentence in Florida.

https://supremecourt.flcourts.gov/co...013-711(1).pdf

91 in jail will die a torturous death
 

I am glad this woman was charged and will be penalized even at 91 she should be held accountable but there are more ways to hold someone accountable than a prison or jail sentence. She should have been given a 30 day sentenced followed by 5 years of ankle monitor and home confinement not able to leave home for anything other than doctor's appointments. Our prison and jail system cost tax payers money and it is over burdened. There is little to no medical care and she will most likely be tortured due to this one issue.It will cost US the tax payers probably $75,000 a year to house her if not more if she has medical issues. I advocate for alternative sentences for many reasons. I hope she also had to pay money to these people that she hurt.

Convicted felons are ineligible to receive Social Security benefits for any months they are incarcerated. Hopefully someone who knows her name will report her incarceration to the Social Security office in Leesburg. Usually state courts and prison officials cannot be bothered to do so.

so I drive to Leesburg 5 or 6 days a week to gym, drive to Orlando 3or 4 nights every month to Salsa dance and eat out most nights , so you think next December when I turn 85 I will become so feeble that I shouldn’t drive anymore , anytime you would like to come for a long walk ,or a fast 3 mile run or 10 mile bike ride , or do my gym workout feel free to drop over

That’s generic criticism with no basis. I’ve had more people in cars try to hit me or scare me when on my bicycle purely because, like you, they find bicyclists annoying. That’s a great motive for ending up in jail if successful at hitting someone, but not a valid or legal reason to ride too close to a bicyclist who has the same legal right to use the road.

Prison???
 

why should we now have to support her for five years?, She should have been stripped of her wealth to provide for the injured parties, then left to suffer a shameless lifestyle of poverty....this would have been a better sentence...

Why? Because our system is about justice, not revenge.

There are people of all ages who misuse and abuse their driving privileges. There are people of all ages who have medical emergencies. Age discrimination is just another form of prejudice.

I'm happy to see the older folks are keeping in shape and still got it. My Dad is in his mid 80s and he plays softball in an 80's league. Those old guys are an inspiration. :clap2:

:ohdear: Let me start by saying nobody feels more sympathy for the injured in this case than I do. With that said, I feel no glee in seeing a 91 year old sentenced to 5 years in prison as some on this site seem to. And may I ask you who got killed? Terribly injured..... yes. Killed..... no. Glad you weren't on the jury. :oops:

How is the Community Served?
 

Upfront: I agree with all the comments. However, I wonder if putting an 81-year-old woman in prison helps anyone, even her since prison is supposed to be about getting the person to realize their mistake and getting them back into society. I think a more apt punishment that would cost the govt less would be to 1. home arrest with ankle bracelet - let her pay for her upkeep 2. revoke driving license forever 3. 5-year probation so if she leaves the home, to prison 4. punitive damages to family. Let's keep prison for the murderers and such who I do not want around.

She hit the people...stopped...got out of her car and looked at the victims on the ground....got back in her car and drove off. Then she went right to a body shop to get the car repaired. Told the repairman the blood on the car was from an animal she just hit. When the police finally caught up to her and ask questions...she fled the state, lawyered up and has fought this case for at least 2 years. This is not Mother Theresa.

More like "Ma Barker", maybe?

That is a dumb thing to say , you are placing every senior in the same boat.

Try maybe retesting everyone every 6 years regardless of age.

How many accidents do you read at this age compared to younger people.

Think before you post

Totally agree with retesting every 5-6 years regardless of age. Not only does it serve to refresh our driving skills, it helps everyone to learn any new laws that have been passed. Maybe some of the drivers would actually come to a stop at a stop sign!

No social security payments while incarcerated for a felony. Check your facts .

Would you say that the Federal Aviation Administration's rule of not allowing an airline pilot to fly passengers after age 60 also "age discrimination" and thus another example of "prejudice"?

And why or why not?

Travesty ? Are you serious. She wasn’t found guilty and sentenced to jail for hitting the bicyclist. She LEFT THE SCENE when someone was injured. No excuse for that. Accidents happen but willful neglect is irresponsible.

You have some good points and I have to comment on this one. TV is a "Gold Rated Community" but the League of American Bicyclists.

The Villages: Building a Bicycle Friendly Community in Florida | League of American Bicyclists

The fact that close calls, "bad feelings", and the occasionally maimed or killed cyclist happen here (one of the best places to ride in the entire country) is a sign that there is a major problem between cyclists and motorists.

And I just don't understand it. We're talking about taking just a moment, slowing down, and changing lanes. I doesn't matter if you're passing one rider or a group of 20, it's just a matter of seconds and you're past the group safely and on with your life as are they. Maybe once in awhile it's 20 seconds. But for some reason motorists just lose their everloving minds when they have to accommodate any other road users.

You even have posts on this thread (#11) that suggest cyclist wouldn't get hit if they rode responsibly. I mean, what the hell?? Is it OK to mow down anybody on or near the roadway just because they might be 1 foot to the left of where you think they should be?

I don't know what the solution is but it sure is a problem.

Joe

Retesting is a joke. People, in general, know the driving manual. I’m talking about over age 85 physical reflexes, mental reflexes and physical agility. Those abilities are greatly diminished after age 85, it doesn’t make any difference if you can bench press 500 lbs at that age.

Your analogy of younger drivers having more accidents is skewed. You would have to compare miles driven, highways driven, weather conditions and beginner drivers to start with.

There have been so many accidental hit the gas rather than the brake and put it in drive instead of reverse which the elderly person intended.

The woman in this sad accident is the perfect example. Do you think she is on the road everyday driving to work, picking up children from school and all of the activities of younger drivers? Of course not. Many fewer hours are driven by the elderly so those stats you provided don’t hold water in that boat.

Good points. It is a fact that the practice of mixing bicyclists and motorists on our streets (and to a lesser extent on highways) poses risk, sometimes considerable, for the bicyclist(s). Yes, they have a legal right to be there: I don't know about the rest of you but I'd rather be alive than right.

Back in Minneapolis (before the riots changed the downtowns into more-or-less ghost towns) you'd see bicyclists riding in downtown Minneapolis, usually two- by-two, and often at speeds that if an automobile was doing it, could easily result in a ticket for going too slow and impeding traffic. Driving in cities can be frustrating: if there is a vehicle or vehicles ahead of you going at about 1/2 to 2/3 your speed and you have a timeline to meet, are late for an appointment or a meeting, etc., it can be infuriating. Human nature is what it is. Lots of horn blowing, hand gestures, risk-taking, and sometimes even violence. There've been instances of cars intentionally bumping bicyclists, pulling next to them and forcing them to the curb, etc. To many drivers, bicyclists are seen as entitled jerks that see themselves as above the law, and their passive-aggressive cycling habits that inhibit traffic flow is resented in the extreme.

I am pretty sure that there are bicyclists who see motorists in equally negative lights, and both may be true, to a greater or lesser extent. But the truth of the matter is that bicycles and cars don't mix well, never really have, and it doesn't seem to be getting any better.

That is how it used to be in Florida.

When I was at the Univ. of Florida in the 1960's, I had to go to the DMV to be tested every year or two. They checked my vision, hearing, and my ability to read traffic signs.

It was basically to see if I was a functioning adult and, of course, I passed easily. Now I am 77 and I think all drivers my age should be tested every year.

I have lived it. I hope this couple gets everything they deserve to help with expenses they will continue to deal with for the rest of their days. Trust me when I tell you if I had been awarded all the money Bill Gates has, it would not be enough for the loss of function for the rest of your life. People seem to think money makes everything better. Sad

They should also be tested for swift braking ability, quick maneuvering when required, ability to turn head and neck to check blind spots… the list goes on and on.

She deserves the sentence she got. Miserable excuse for a human being.

Before you make a comment such as this, you should go back and read just how this accident occurred.

I am not a fan of the mass bicycling we see in TV as I have witnessed too many times the running of stop signs and unsafe side-by-side riding. Despite the pronouncements of the bicycle clubs of their safe operations, they should get out the driving manual and memorize it.

:shrug: IMHO some of these posts (possibly mine too) are:

vir·tue sig·nal·ing

noun - DEROGATORY

"The public expression of opinions or sentiments intended to demonstrate one's good character or social conscience or the moral correctness of one's position on a particular issue.
It's noticeable how often virtue signaling consists of saying you hate things". - Quote from online dictionary

I think the punishment fits the crime..... what I don't understand for the life of me is people being so nasty(IMHO) towards a 91 year old human being who is someone's mother and probably grandmother. "Miserable excuse for a human being" seems a bit much. I'm convinced the woman was guilty and sentenced correctly..... just not OVER JOYED about it. To me it's a bad time of the year to be hateful. PEACE and MERRY CHRISTmas.

Right Here!! They are the people crying about “Cars” on the road. Yet they don’t abide by any traffic laws. They think they own the roads... Forget Stop 🛑 signs

The mention of the make of car also struck me as bizaar ! But that seems to be a standard "thing" with writers; not just in this local. We have many US Marines in our family; we've always noticed that when something really horrifying happens (a robbery, killing, fatal auto or boat accident, etc.) an article NEVER says, ex-navy member, or former army member or airman, but ALWAYS "ex-MARINE" ! ? It's something we've noticed for years no matter where we've lived or what newspaper we read. Once in another city we noticed that when a teen committed a an outrageous act, it never said "-------, son of a machinist, or son of a grounds keeper, or son of an auto mechanic, did ______." But it ALWAYS stated "son of a local pastor, or son on a local school principal, son of mayor ______, and so on. SOME jobs and professions seem to be held MORE responsible for the bad behavior of their children than others ? Seems so. Kind of the same line as the old "if it bleeds it leads" theory of "journalism" ? Nothing new, but yes, how many local articles mention a Ford, or Chevy ? LOL ! In that same subject area, had a similar "chit chat" discussion with our adult children over Thanksgiving. An article in their local paper triggered a discussion of SUV's (which we, and our children happen to drive). Son pointed out how if/when an automobile crashes through the front of a business (often driver error or illness), the news paper will always say SUV crashes through local grocery, injuring several shoppers. But, it never says "sedan" or "coupe" crashes through _______ . Isn't THAT strange our son offered ?