The wheels of justice

Does the punishment fit the deed?

 • Tina Kuipers, 65, died on April 13, 2010, when she was run over by a truck as she tried to cross Queen St. in Brampton. The truck driver, Obarasiaiagbon Umanmwen never appeared in court, but pleaded guilty to failing to yield under the Highway Traffic Act and was fined $500. He also agreed to make a $500 charitable donation.

 • Alsea Wilson, 32, of Toronto had to pay a $500 fine after pleading guilty to failing to yield to a pedestrian. Wilson’s BMW hit Diana Rowdon, 88, on Oct. 2, 2010 while the senior was walking south on Hurontario St., crossing at Sherwoodtowne Blvd.

 • An 18-year-old Mississauga man was fined $1,000, barred from driving for two years and ordered to perform 100 hours of community service, after he pleaded guilty to careless driving. He was travelling above the 60 km/h speed limit on Dixie Rd., when he lost control of his car. His Eagle Talon collided with a Volvo driven by Eduardo Pascoal, 73, who died almost instantly. His wife Fernandina, 74, died later in hospital. The youth, whose identity is protected by Canada’s youth justice laws, because he was only 17 at the time of the incident, was originally charged with two counts of dangerous driving causing death, a criminal offence.

 • There were no charges to the 15-year-old cyclist in a fatal collision with Cheng Li Jiang, 56, on the sidewalk on Kennedy Rd. near Sheppard Ave. on Aug. 9, 2009. The city permits bikes on the sidewalk if the tire size is less than 61cm. If the bike had been bigger, the cyclist could have received a $90 fine, according to the city’s website.

-- Tess Kalinowski, Transportation Reporter