Letter: Questions about my friend's fatal accident – Albert Lea Tribune

A good friend and colleague of mine was killed in Oak Grove on October 5th. He was standing on his motorcycle at a red light, waiting to turn left. His name was Kelly Linder, and yes, he was wearing a helmet, which of course was a detail not mentioned in the news reports. Kelly was a very attentive rider. I went on bike rides with him several times and rode around here and there.

The woman who hit him from behind reportedly admitted that she had been talking on her cell phone, but then changed her story and told the officer that the sun was shining in her eyes and she had not seen Kelly.

This accident occurred at midday, so the sun was directly in the sky. She also stated that her speedometer was broken and therefore she had no idea how fast she was driving.

As it turns out, this woman had gotten a ticket just two months ago for talking on the phone while driving. After the accident, she was allowed to go home with her father, who was on site.

He happens to be a retired police officer.

My question is, why was she allowed to go home? Shouldn't she have gone to prison?

I'm pretty sure if I had been the driver I would be in jail right now. This woman's driver's license must be revoked as this affects public safety. She has to go to prison for a good ten years. She should also have to pay Kelly's family at least the amount he would have earned for the rest of his working life!

If a drunk driver goes to jail because he could have killed someone, doesn't it make sense that this woman who drove irresponsibly distracted because she was on the phone and killed an innocent man should go to jail?

This woman was allowed to go home after the accident; Kelly, on the other hand, had to go to the morgue.

Rod Anderson
Albert Leah