I spent a lot of time driving during the Thanksgiving holiday, visiting family in Northeast Texas.  Maybe it's just me, but people on the roads--especially the Interstates--seem to be a lot more reckless and discourteous than they were just a few years ago.  I can't tell you how many times someone darted in front of me without signalling, causing me to have to slam on my brakes to avoid rear-ending them and causing a chain-reaction crash.

Just once I'd like to ask one of these yahoos what they were thinking at that moment when they made a maneuver with their vehicle that could have gotten them and other drivers killed.  Like, "Why did you think that was a good idea?  Are you that much in a hurry?  Does getting one car ahead on a packed highway make that much difference to you?"

Then on Sunday morning I received a news release from the Louisiana State Police that had me thinking, "Strike me blind; I've seen it all."  The headline reads "Fluid Trail Leads to Arrest of Slidell Resident in Fatal Hit and Run Crash".  The press release describes what has to be one of the most gruesome acts ever committed by a driver.

It seems that at around 10:40pm on Saturday, November 25th, Louisiana State Troopers responded to a report of a hit-and-run collision between a bicyclist and motor vehicle in Slidell.  59-year-old Calvin Lefort, Jr., of Slidell was riding his bike on US 190 near the intersection of Christa Drive when he was hit from behind by a 1991 Chevy Van driven by 48-year-old Larry Dean Kellett of Slidell.

The impact of the crash threw Lefort onto the van where he became embedded in the windshield.  Kellett then stopped the van on the shoulder of the road, got out of the vehicle, pulled Lefort out of the windshield, dumped him on the side of the road, and drove away.  A passing motorist saw Lefort in the ditch and called 911.  Lefort was later pronounced dead at Slidell Memorial Hospital.

During their investigation of the crash, State Troopers noticed a fluid trail that lead away from the accident scene.  Investigators followed the trail which led to the home of Kellett's girlfriend.  Sure enough, a Chevy Van was in the driveway with a busted windshield.  Kellett was found inside the house and promptly confessed to his involvement in the crash and consented to a breathalyzer test--which he passed.

Oh, the questions I would have for Kellett.  Like, "Are you totally insane?  What made you think it was a good idea to pull a guy out of your windshield, dump him on the ground, and leave him to die?  Did you think nobody would notice?  Did you think you'd get away with it?"

Makes me want to ride the bus.  But then somebody would probably crash into that, too.

 

 

 

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