Forgiveness is not something you often come across from victims of crime. It is, I guess, a natural reaction to lash out at those who hurt you. And few people have been hurt worse than the families of the woman and two young girls killed in the car crash by a Dutch driver who went through a stop sign a couple of weeks ago.
It was a surprise to many, then, that a spokesperson for one of the families expressed sympathy for the Dutch driver who has torn so many lives apart. Accidents happen, he said.
In return, one might have hoped that the court case (the driver has been charged with careless use of a motorcar causing death) would be quick, so that shattered lives can focus on mending. Instead the driver has entered no plea. In itself this slows the process down, but it also raises the obvious possibility of a not guilty plea. This is quite within his rights, of course, but given police describe the evidence as “independent and sufficient” one can reasonably expect any goodwill extended to him will evaporate.
This dissipation will only increase among the public when it is more widely known that he was responsible for another incident that wrote off his rental vehicle earlier on the day of the fatal crash.
While I don’t know the victims, they do come from my community of Sumner. The hurt here is evident, and this may mean my objectivity is not all it could be, but I hope the bloke does the right thing, puts his hand up and takes his punishment on the chin. If not, I suspect the only forgiveness around will be that offered to the victims for changing their mind and damning this bloke to bits.
It was a surprise to many, then, that a spokesperson for one of the families expressed sympathy for the Dutch driver who has torn so many lives apart. Accidents happen, he said.
In return, one might have hoped that the court case (the driver has been charged with careless use of a motorcar causing death) would be quick, so that shattered lives can focus on mending. Instead the driver has entered no plea. In itself this slows the process down, but it also raises the obvious possibility of a not guilty plea. This is quite within his rights, of course, but given police describe the evidence as “independent and sufficient” one can reasonably expect any goodwill extended to him will evaporate.
This dissipation will only increase among the public when it is more widely known that he was responsible for another incident that wrote off his rental vehicle earlier on the day of the fatal crash.
While I don’t know the victims, they do come from my community of Sumner. The hurt here is evident, and this may mean my objectivity is not all it could be, but I hope the bloke does the right thing, puts his hand up and takes his punishment on the chin. If not, I suspect the only forgiveness around will be that offered to the victims for changing their mind and damning this bloke to bits.
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