Salt Lake Telegram | 1935-06-07 | Page 4 | Driver's Panic Poor Excuse

Drivers Driver's Panic Poor Excuse eleventh and twelfth victims of run hit-run T THE drivers in Salt Lake county since sinco January 1 met death Wednesday Of the twelve deaths accidents within the c city t c caused used four Eight persons were killed In the county outside the city Of the eleven leven drivers involved five have been caught and four of ot these convicted Wednesday nights night's tragedy claimed two wo youths Richard White and Warren Pickle both 19 years of Cf age These are figures for members of the next session of the legislature to ponder In spite of the shameful traffic record of the whole Which listed a shocking number of cases of hittun hitun hit- hit run tun un killings and in spite of praiseworthy efforts of one or two members of th the 1 1935 5 session measures to make run hit-run driving a felony Where a fatality fatality- occurs were smothered The hideous offense remains n the law as a a misdemeanor misdemeanor misdemeanor mis mis- demeanor for which the extreme penalty is one years rears imprisonment in a county jail It is not argued that making a run hit-run killIng killIng kill kill- Ing a felony affords assurance that such accidents accidents acci acci- dents will not occur or even that the that the tho number Will vill il be appreciably l lessened It is reasonable to believe though that heedless drivers would be sobered b by p such a statute a and aid d altogether rea reasonable tea tea- to believe that drivers rs involved in cases where here persons are maimed or killed killed would be befar befar befar far more likely to stop to give aid to their victims victims victims vic vic- tims and to face the responsibilities for their acts Reflection that a felony charge would be faced if caught and that a prison sentence would follow conviction o ought to deter guilty drivers drivels from fleeing I Drivers involved in run hit accidents are arc not riot in every case responsible for the accident itself There may be circumstances which make such an all accident unavoidable There Thero is nothing but cowardice however to explain the running away I became panicky Robert 23 Vine street is quoted by sheriffs sheriff's men menas menas menas as saying in n telling why he pe drove away from Wednesday nights night's accident He was arrested as s he was driving out of an alley in the death car three hours after th the tragedy County officers officers officers cers say he admitted being the death driver S. S Up to June 6 of this year years of twenty highway killings twelve have pave involved run hit-run drivers In any circumstances these are lamentable tragedies When the driver leaves his victims to suffer or to die his crime is nothing short of being murderous for he has no way of knowing knowing knowing know know- ing whether they may have been left in agony or 01 killed outright Such a driver is a coward devoid of humane compassion and fit only to be placed where he can no longer menace society Commendation is earned by Deputy Sheriff H H. H C. C Holley Honey and Foreman Vern Gardner of the county garage who lay in wait for and pursued him as he sought to escape from Ids his hiding place whimpering ex excuse excuse ex- ex cuse that he became panicky is s wholly unworthy unworthy unworthy thy of consideration by any judge before whom be he may be brought for trial