KANSAN.COM / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2011 / NEWS
3A
CRIME
Stricter law enforcements for hit-and-run offenders
BY ANGELIQUE MCNAUGHTON amcnaughton.kansan.com
State officials and family members of victims involved in hit-and-run fatalities say stricter punishment is needed for drivers who flee the scene of an accident, especially in a college town like Lawrence.
District Attorney Charles Branson, along with family members of victims in Lawrence, presented testimony supporting House Bill 2044 to legislators in Topeka on Jan. 27.
The House Corrections and Juvenile Justice Committee will work on the bill and Chairwoman Pat Colloton said she hopes the bill will come out of committee on Monday or Tuesday in order to be heard on the house floor.
House Bill 2044 increases the penalties for leaving the scene of an accident where great bodily harm or injury occurs.
"If this bill
"If this bill can deter drivers who have hit someone from leaving their victims on the side of the road without aid, seemingly a more egregious crime than the accident itself, then it may save
accident.
lives and deserves your support," Jeffrey Stolz said. Stolz's wife's 20-year-old sister Rachel Leek was killed while riding her bicycle in 2009.
The driver who killed Ryan had been drinking heavily and when he left the bar that night, one of his friends tried to prevent him from driving. After the accident and without rendering help to Ryan, he drove back to the bar where he told his friends "something bad" had happened, according to Kanost.
Ryan Kanost, a 2006 Lawrence senior, was walking with a group of friends crossing Kentucky Street in a crosswalk late one night in September 2006. A car struck Ryan in the crosswalk — killing him — and fled, according to testimony provided by Branson given by Ryan's father, Michael Kanost to legislators.
The driver was sentenced to 90 days in jail, with work release.
"As lawmakers, sometimes you need to force people to do the right thing."
From 2004 to 2008, hit-and-run accidents averaged 9.2 percent of all accidents in Kansas, according to the Kansas Department of Transportation. Thirty-five accidents resulted in death
Branson said he can look back at several instances during the last few years where someone's left the scene of a fatality accident and there was proof that they were possibly driving under the influence. But once they flee the scene, Branson said, they "rob" the state the chance of trying to build proof of intoxication at the time of the
RYAN CRUM Son of a hit-and-run victim
in death. The current law, some believe, provides an incentive for intoxicated drivers to leave the scene of an accident rather than face the consequences
of a driving under the influence conviction.
"They're weighing their options, if you will." Branson said
Under the law, someone who leaves the scene of an injury accident is charged with a level 10 persons felony. In essence that means that someone with no criminal history is looking at probation.
person can be sentenced to jail. Ultimately, the discretion will still lie with the courts and the judge, based on the circumstances of the case.
House Bill 2044 increases the penalty from a level 10 to a level eight persons felony, which increases the time that a
The big change though, Branson said, is if an injury or death occurs.
This bill increases the severity of the crime and if the bill passes, the person would have the possibility of serving 32 months in prison.
Branson said ultimately his hopes for the bill are twofold.
He hopes this will take the incentives out of fleeing the scene and encourage people to seek medical assistance.
House Democratic Leader Paul Davis of Lawrence said, "We've unfortunately had a lot of tragic instances here in Douglas County and several family members of victims pointed out to me that they thought there was a real deficiency in the law whereby people who have usually been driving drunk and have killed someone are not being punished to the degree they ought to be."
Ryan Crum's father Thomas Crum was killed in 2008 in a hit-and-run accident and spoke out in support.
"As lawmakers, sometimes you need to force people to do the right thing," Crum said. "This is one of those times."
Edited by Brittany Nelson
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Phyllis Stevens, the human resources manager at BernsteinRein, a large advertising company in Kansas City, Mo., has similar views of KU graduates. She said overall the quality of applicants she received from the University was pretty high. The one problem Stevens encounters, not specifically from the University but recent graduates across the board, was that student lacked skills in attention to the small details such as spelling and professionalism, or the soft skills.
While the 'Limited Learning' study paints an unflattering image of college students, it is not critical thinking and writing skills that seem to be the main problem for KU students. Kathryn Nemeth Tuttle, assistant vice provok for student success, said that in order to help distinguish oneself, students should take academically challenging courses and stay engaged.
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In the story "Alternative Breaks offer an affordable experience" on page 3A of the Feb. 4 newspaper, Julia Barnard was reported as coordinating all 13 breaks this semester.The Alternative Spring Breaks are coordinated by both Barnard and Stephanie Jian, with direction from Whitney Bloom and Aleese Kopf.In addition, the photo under the Catalina Island headline was taken in Central Park in New York City. The University Daily Kansan regrets these errors.
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