30 Jan 2008, 10:48 am / Other
You are cruising on a four lane highway, wind blowing through your body, the sun in your face warming you inside and out, making the problems of the world seem distant. Your mate relaxed behind you. After a long week of running the kids to and from school, sports and birthday parties, tight schedules at work have you working late every night, tension building because of lack of intimacy in the family. Finally a break to get out and ride. What a day, two hundred miles of bayou and back country roads. Breakfast and lunch at the favorite stops catching up with old friends. Time to head home, five miles left to such a great day you want it to last but, you know it’s getting late and the kids need to get things ready for the school week. Your in-laws have graciously offered to keep the kids, to give the two of you time together, doing what you both love, time together, riding, you dont want to push it knowing it will be awhile before they offer again. You see her, the local Mayor, as she is leaving the events center where some kind of fundraiser is being held. She is not looking at you and you sense she is not going to, before you can respond she is in front of you. That is the last thoughts that Jim Pickholtz and his wife Amy had this past October. Amy woke three days later to learn her husband had died and she may never walk again. Today Amy is able to walk short distances with the aid of a walker, she is a fighter, promises to be there for her children. She has overcome the odds of surviving a crash that should never have happened. Sorrento Mayor Brenda G. Melancon was charged with negligent homicide, negligent injury and failure to yield. She was released on a $25000.00 bond an hour later. Reports show it was not until three hours later that blood was drawn from Melancon for toxicology tests. It is believed alcohol was not a factor. What is a factor is that she did not see the motorcycle in her haste to get across a highway with very little traffic at that moment. ABATE of Louisiana has taken this case to our board of directors and voted to stay with this it to the end. What really got our attention was the statement from the Mayor when asked by a reporter (several weeks later) if she has been in touch with the family. Her response? “No, I don’t want to relive that crash, it was horrible enough, I do not need to be reminded by the family of what happened” (as reported by KTBS-TV3) What I need from you, the Bikerworlds community is feedback as to what you think the outcome of this case should be. Amy Pickholtz has said she would like to see a bill introduced, in honor of her husband, making a law that toughens the penalty for right of way violators. ABATE of Louisiana has gotten recent legislation passed doing just that in 2006 but find district attorneys across the state do not seek harsher punishments. What I would like to see would be PSA’s that are financed by the Mayor and public appearances by her advocating safer driving habits. Give me your ideas, who knows, we just might save a life or two.
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