So those bikers who attacked the family in the SUV...

[MinisterofDOOM]

He is not without fault. He floored his 5,000lb vehicle directly over many people. He could have driven more slowly - the Range Rover would have parted the squids like the red sea.

What a steaming crock. He didn't create the situation, they did. They are 100% responsible. He was escaping. You can criticize all you want upon retrospect as an outside observer. He was there, feeling threatened, and escape was the only viable option. I have absolutely zero sympathy for those who were hit. They created the situation and imposed it upon the driver. He made the best choice available according to the situation those idiot a$$ bikers created. And now he's got to live with the guilt of running over someone, despite the fact that he was being attacked. "Without fault" is the undestatement of the year.

The next time you're in a life-panic situation, let's film it and review and see how flawless your performance looks.

[alphapig]

I'm not talking about moral blame.

The driver was probably negligent in flooring the car. People can disagree.

Contributory negligence is not a defense in NY - even if the RR drivers negligence only caused 10% of the injury he might still need to pay up 10% of huge damages.

Like I said, he is not without fault.

[skydragoness]

He is not without fault. He floored his 5,000lb vehicle directly over many people. He could have driven more slowly - the Range Rover would have parted the squids like the red sea.

What a steaming crock. He didn't create the situation, they did. They are 100% responsible. He was escaping. You can criticize all you want upon retrospect as an outside observer. He was there, feeling threatened, and escape was the only viable option. I have absolutely zero sympathy for those who were hit. They created the situation and imposed it upon the driver. He made the best choice available according to the situation those idiot a$$ bikers created. And now he's got to live with the guilt of running over someone, despite the fact that he was being attacked. "Without fault" is the undestatement of the year.

The next time you're in a life-panic situation, let's film it and review and see how flawless your performance looks.

I thought it was extreme that the RR driver slammed into them and ran over people to escape too, but in the end, the stunt-biker-gang created this situation for themselves and for the driver. What they were doing was illegal and they were harassing motorists. I hope this sends a message to other dumbass stunt-bike-gangs that they can't do what they want without consequences.

[AZhitman]

He is not without fault. He floored his 5,000lb vehicle directly over many people. He could have driven more slowly - the Range Rover would have parted the squids like the red sea.

No offense, but as someone with a bit of experience in this arena, this sounds a lot like the critics after a police shooting who say, "He should have shot the bad guy in the leg."

The bikers had already proven their wanton disregard for their own safety or legal consequences. You don't deal with irrationality in a rational manner.

Being a thug criminal is supposed to hurt. I wish he'd been driving something bigger. They can shove all that boo-hooing in their squidholes.

No, he'll be very unlikely to face any civil liability.

[Jesda]

There's a reason why the driver has not been charged.

He was acting in defense of himself and his family and took the most obvious and immediate course of action for a person who was unarmed. His actions were reasonable considering the circumstances they forced him into.

[Jmoore124]

Complete negligence on the bikers behalf. It would be extremely disappointing if the family/father faced any kind of liability or criminal prosecution.

That kind of endangering, mob mentality BS should never be tolerated or taken lightly.

[Mr1der]

He can sue his dirtbag friends that created the situation

This may be the more appropriate solution. It's not his fault he got run over, but instead his friends'.
Should his friends get in trouble? Yes, and be lucky they weren't in KS since a lot of us conceal carry.

So they can sue you for shooting them and they were "just standing with their friends" during it?

Maybe I'm not a nice person but I say cut their hands off so they can't ride anymore.

[AZhitman]

That kind of endangering, mob mentality BS should never be tolerated or taken lightly.

THIS.

I have an overwhelming fear of "mob actions." Probably totally irrational, since I'm unlikely to be a target of a group of pissed-off people (other than Prius owners or members of a smaller Nissan forum), but an overwhelming fear nonetheless.

I can deal with stupid on a 1:1 basis. I don't function well when the ratio is skewed, and I'd have done exactly what the driver did (or worse).

[themadscientist]

I was following this story when it first broke. It looked like what it was from the first and as more information came out it only solidified my initial read on the situation.

The truck driver was justified to do what he had to to protect his family from a dangerous predator, a mob.

The members of a mob start to lose the capacity for individual thought as they are swept up into this hive organism. Like a swarm of bees, they move as a group driven by base stimuli not rational decision. Just like you can't reason with an angry swarm nor could the driver hope to do anything, but be beaten or killed and who knows what else to his family. He was cornered. In that situation another primal impulse comes into play fight or flight. He could get out of the truck and try to defend himself and his family or GTFO out of there. He made the right choice.

Every biker that was injured has nobody to blame, but themselves for involving themselves in that sort of activity with those sorts of people and the alpha jack off of their chose to initiate the chain reaction that was certain to unfold given the actors involved. **** them. I hope they suffer recurring pain for the rest of their lives for terrorizing this family.

Had it been my truck, the police would have responded to a multiple gunshot scene littered with dead and dying punks, a street littered with spent casings and my family safely behind me and my warm Glock.

Take that anyway you want; I don't care.

[AZhitman]

^ Yep.

So many people are worried about the consequences of defending themselves.

I'm not. The consequences of doing nothing are far more terrifying.

[Jmoore124]

So many people are worried about the consequences of defending themselves.

This is actually very true, and pretty bothering. No longer can kids get into a little fist fight without serious repercussions. I don't know about you all, but I learned a few damn good lessons from the few fights I had as a kid. And I think there was a whole lot less of the explosion type situation we hear so much on the news.

[AZ89two4Tsx]

I'm not talking about moral blame.

The driver was probably negligent in flooring the car. People can disagree.

Contributory negligence is not a defense in NY - even if the RR drivers negligence only caused 10% of the injury he might still need to pay up 10% of huge damages.

Like I said, he is not without fault.

As someone taking law classes, I can see where you're coming from.

I personally think it's stupid though to try and apply comparative negligence in a life threatening situation. Sure there's a gray area there but this is pretty black and white. That moment of hesitation if that goes through your mind could be the difference between life and death.

If I wasn't with my kids (if I had any anyways) I would have probably thrown my SUV in reverse a couple times as well.

[gwoods]

So many people are worried about the consequences of defending themselves.

This is actually very true, and pretty bothering. No longer can kids get into a little fist fight without serious repercussions. I don't know about you all, but I learned a few damn good lessons from the few fights I had as a kid. And I think there was a whole lot less of the explosion type situation we hear so much on the news.

THIS everything is so escalated these days you can't say boo to people without a shootout. Calm down folks life is not that serious.

[elwesso]

I'm sure the driver of the SUV would have rather not ran over the people, and I bet the SUV driver would have even preferred not to be in that situation!

I think from the outside looking in it's easy to come up with shoulda-coulda-woulda's, but at the end of the day I think almost everyone would have reacted in the same way or worse. I think the bikers got off pretty easy all things considered... If that guy happened to be a rich, pissed off hillbilly from Kentucky, there's a good chance he would have been packing heat and potentially other innocent bystanders could have been injured. I think the fact that no one outside of the situation got hurt makes this probably the best-case scenario.

[Dattebayo]

Well now that I've had time to think about it, this wouldn't have happened if we could just get flamethrowers mounted to our cars' sides and bumpers in this country.

[Bubba1]

Well now that I've had time to think about it, this wouldn't have happened if we could just get flamethrowers mounted to our cars' sides and bumpers in this country.

Thinking more, every car in NJ would then have charred rear ends due to not instantly moving when a light turns green.

[AZhitman]

Thinking more, every car in NJ would then have charred rear ends due to not instantly moving when a light turns green.

You say that like it's a bad thing.

[Bubba1]

Thinking more, every car in NJ would then have charred rear ends due to not instantly moving when a light turns green.

You say that like it's a bad thing.

Only if you're on the receiving end.