Whitmore Lake driver who struck, killed cyclist enters plea deal
A Whitmore Lake man whose vehicle struck and killed a bicyclist in Northfield Township last summer pleaded no contest to negligent homicide.
Joshua Hidey, 23, entered the plea during a pre-trial hearing in Washtenaw County Circuit Court, records show. His trial on the felony charge was scheduled for this spring.
Hidey's vehicle struck Duane West while he was riding his bicycle on Seven Mile Road near the Spencer Road intersection at about 11 p.m. June 5. West, 53, died at the scene.
Testimony at a November preliminary hearing revealed Hidey was traveling 45 mph in a 55 mph zone when he attempted to pass a slower moving van. The van suddenly veered, West also veered to avoid a collision, and his vehicle struck West’s bike head-on.
A sentencing agreement is in place, but further details weren't available.
A no contest plea is not an admission of guilt, but is treated as such at sentencing, which is scheduled for March 4.
Art Aisner is a freelance reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach the news desk news@annarbor.com or 734-623-2530.
Comments
stunhsif
Fri, Jan 29, 2010 : 8:55 p.m.
Give more information and speculation would not be necessary A2.com. Get your act together!!!
Joel
Fri, Jan 29, 2010 : 7:27 p.m.
Hey Art, what is the difference between a paragraph and a sentence? C'mon, share your wisdom with us?
Umlud
Fri, Jan 29, 2010 : 12:22 a.m.
Trixi said: What I wonder constantly is why people choose 7 Mile for a bike path? You want to blame the victim here? WTF? Look to the law state: Each person riding a bicycle upon a roadway has all of the rights and is subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle by this chapter, except as to special regulations in this article and except as to the provisions of this chapter which by their nature do not have application. That means that - except where bicycles are not allowed - bikes = vehicles = the same access rights as cars. Since cars = vehicles = cars, 7 Mile is not a "bike path". It's a road on which bikes are legally allowed to use. You need to change your mental frame of mind. The actual question you should be asking is why more infrastructure isn't available to provide better separation of bikes from cars (then you wouldn't have to, hopefully, in future blame dead victims for doing what is completely legal).