Sharon
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Total Posts
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960
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- Joined: Jun 23, 2004
- Location: NS, Canada (living in Rhode Island)
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Portable DVD players
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Aug 11, 2004 12:45
Wow, I can' t believe this guy got off.
Dashboard DVD driver acquitted in 2 deaths
Last Updated Wed, 11 Aug 2004 07:20:51 EDT
KENAI, ALASKA - An Alaskan driver who police say was watching a DVD instead of the road before he plowed into another vehicle has been acquitted of murdering the two people killed in the crash.
Petterson, 29, was travelling from Kenai to Anchorage with a passenger, Jonathan Douglas, when the accident happened.
The passenger' s ex-wife told police Douglas had told her the men were whiling away the three-hour trip by watching the movie Road Trip on a dashboard DVD player.
Such devices are supposed to be wired so that they work only when the vehicle is in park or has its emergency brake on, but Petterson had overridden the safety measure.
As well as the DVD player, the pickup truck contained a Sony PlayStation 2 and audio speakers.
Throughout his legal battle, Petterson insisted he was not watching the DVD when his truck crossed the highway' s centre line and smashed into the Weisers' SUV, but was distracted while reaching for a soft drink.
The prosecution was not successful in its bid to have Petterson' s driving record and skid marks found at the scene allowed as evidence.
Give me a break! Guaranteed the guy was watching it!
After the verdict, prosecutor June Stein said she hoped the state legislature would bring in a law prohibiting operating a DVD or video player within sight of a driver.
I thought it was already illegal.
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