A Georgia woman, who was facing more time in jail than even the drunken driver who struck and killed her 4-year-old son because “she chose to cross the street at the bus stop instead of the nearest crosswalk,” has finally been cleared of the tragedy without facing the prospect of jail time.
According to CNN, Raquel Nelson has been absolved of charges of second-degree homicide by a vehicle, crossing the roadway elsewhere than a crosswalk and reckless conduct and will now just pay a $200 fine for fine for jaywalking.
Nelson faced anywhere from two to four years behind bars stemming from the 2010 accident that killed her 4-year-old son, even though the suburban arterial that separated her apartment complex from the bus stop in question had no crossing nearby.
Back in 2010, the heartbroken mother was convicted of all those aforementioned charges and sentenced to a year’s probation and 40 hours of community service. Largely driven by the almost equally harsh reality she could not bear to be separated from her other two young children. Nelson sought and was granted a new trial.
According to CNN, driver Jerry Guy fled the scene immediately following the accident, but was later apprehended and sentenced to five years in prison. He was released after serving just six-months and is now serving the remainder of his sentence on probation.
“The white stripes of a crosswalk are not impenetrable walls of steel that could have prevented a driver from striking someone crossing the street,” Nelson’s attorney, David Savoy, told CNN.
Throughout her ordeal, Nelson’s case attracted national attention, including from the likes of the NAACP and even transportation advocates who argued the Marietta woman was unfairly targeted for simply attempting to cross the street as most any pedestrian would do.
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