Two stories about the legal dangers of cycling. Both from an article in Grist.

First, a motorist, passing another car at 80 mph in a 45 mph zone struck and killed a teenage cyclist.  From prison, he is suing the boy’s parents.

It’s about a man serving a 10-year sentence for killing a 14-year-old boy with his car in Prospect, Conn. The boy, Matthew Kenney, was riding his bike in the road when, according to prosecutors, David Weaving tried to overtake another vehicle at 83 miles per hour in a 45-hour zone. He was convicted of manslaughter in the case.

Now Weaving is suing the boy’s family for not making their son wear a helmet…

Second, a banker in Colorado struck a cyclist and fled the scene. The DA has chosen to show lenience to the driver, as to do otherwise could hurt the man’s business.

This comes just days after a story out of Colorado landed in my inbox numerous times. That one, which was written up in multiple venues, involves a high-end financial manager named Martin Joel Erzinger, who allegedly hit a man on a bicycle with his car and then fled the scene. Erzinger was allowed by the Eagle County District Attorney to avoid a felony charge in the case:

[the original article is quoting someone here and I cannot nest the indents] “Felony convictions have some pretty serious job implications for someone in Mr. Erzinger’s profession, and that entered into it,” Hurlbert said. “When you’re talking about restitution, you don’t want to take away his ability to pay.”

The second one does sound like what happens in Korea when the families of Chaebol owners face justice.