A judge told a driver she displayed “moronic stupidity” by deliberately and repeatedly blocking an ambulance which was carrying a dying patient. Annika Avery, 20, of Leicester, was given a five-month prison sentence, suspended for two years. She had already admitted dangerous driving.
The court was told that Avery overtook the ambulance at speed and slowed down, causing the vehicle to brake suddenly.
She did this even though the siren was on, Leicester Crown Court heard. Avery, of Tatlow Road, Glenfield, was said to be under stress at the time of the incident in July 2008, although no other reason was given for her behaviour. In the back of the ambulance a paramedic was giving heart compressions to an elderly patient. Such was the force of the braking that the paramedic was flung the length of the vehicle, the court heard. The driver of the ambulance said at one stage Avery pulled alongside him and she was travelling at 60mph (96km/h) in a 40mph (64km/h) area.
The paramedic said he looked across and saw Avery and a male passenger laughing and making obscene gestures. The patient in the ambulance died and the judge said if Avery’s driving had played any part in that death, she would have been facing a very different sentence.
It’s really hard to explain such a thing. Drugs coupled with extreme narcissism, maybe?
Manslaughter would have been fitting.
Fire engines and ambulances, where I live in New Zealand, will ram into parked cars in an emergency. They are equipped to be able to do this. They have re-enforced chassis and bumpers, heavy duty transmissions and many hundreds of horsepower on tap. I’ve seen a line of three cars nudged aside by a pump truck.
Nothing to see here… just another pussy judge.
I hereby dub thee “Dame Commander of the Order of Worthless Twits”.
“…and the judge said if Avery’s driving had played any part in that death, she would have been facing a very different sentence.”
What is it with these gutless judges?! I’d say it was a certainty that Avery’s driving played some part in the death. No “if” about it. And any interference in the ambulance’s operation should carry an automatic punitive sentence, a lot stronger than a suspended sentence.
#15 – I like your idea. But it should be turned into a new “Survivors” reality show. Casted with twits like this, who don’t win any money, but merely get to leave the living hell they’re put thru, before any of the other twits do. And the viewers get to vote which Twits should stay on longer, or even end up on next season’s show (to suffer some more).
Such televised hardships (for no rewards) might scare other such Twits (not yet caught) into smarting up their acts. The only problem is that some Twits will cherish any Tv appearance too much, and work at pulling stupid stunts just to get on the air. Just as they obviously do to get on Jerry Springer.
It’s a shame such a cute girl needs such a big punch in the face. Manslaughter should have been on the table. Her and her yuppie man-passenger.
What the driver did was wrong. Very wrong. Yet I still am always amazed at the number of people that wish to see her physically assaulted. People, this is what differentiates us from animals! She should be punished, BUT, within the bounds of the law.
I assume the morality of some of the comments stem from their Christian upbringing. Which is why they also favor torture “if it would make a terrorist give up the codes to a nuclear device”.
Sick people.
#17:”What kind of childhood did they have?”
A permissive one where parents and teachers give kids “time outs” or talk at them when they misbehave, instead of teaching them that there are painful and/or expensive consequences for misbehavior.
Maybe some community service with an EMT team or Emergency Room. Perspective is always a good tutor.
#30, TML,
I can agree with that. I would still like to see a severe license suspension on top of it too.
#30, TML,
I can agree with that. A very sensible idea.
I would still like to see a severe license suspension on top of it too.
Sheet, I didn’t hit the stop button fast enough.