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Bills running back Marshawn Lynch will go to court on Friday to plead guilty to a traffic violation, and afterward will speak publicly for the first time about his hit-and-run accident, the Buffalo News is reporting.
According to the News, the two charges he could face are failure to exercise due care to avoid striking a pedestrian and leaving the scene of a property-damage accident. Both carry maximum penalties of $250 and 15 days in jail, but Lynch will almost certainly not go to jail.
“We’ll look at something that we feel fits the facts and fairly resolves the issues,” Erie County District Attorney Frank J. Clark said. “Those [two] sections are commonly used to resolve cases of people charged with leaving the scene of a personal-injury accident.”
Lynch’s lawyer said he would not comment until Friday.
Lynch’s SUV hit a woman and drove off at 3:30 a.m. on May 31. The woman, who was treated at a local hospital, has hired a personal-injury lawyer.
June 25th, 2008 at 10:34 am
He had better be VERY careful what he says about it afterwards… I’m sure that woman’s lawyers will be there with a hundred tape recorders, in preparation for a nice juicy civil suit.
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Rating: 2 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
June 25th, 2008 at 10:37 am
I’m sure all hit n run cases are handled along the same lines as this one.
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Rating: 4 / 5 with 4 rating(s)
June 25th, 2008 at 10:58 am
Like your grandmother tells you: “NOTHING GOOD HAPPENS AFTER MIDNIGHT”
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Rating: 4.2 / 5 with 5 rating(s)
June 25th, 2008 at 11:03 am
GuiltyNFL player = no jail time. Again.
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Rating: 4.15 / 5 with 8 rating(s)
June 25th, 2008 at 11:04 am
You can hit a person with your vehicle and drive away (presumably drunk or high), and the only consequences you face criminally are a $500 fine and no jail time (likely)?
Has Buffalo been completely annexed by Canada?
I hope the NFL steps up and punishes the guy appropriately. And I suspect a civil court will not be so forgiving.
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Rating: 3.2 / 5 with 5 rating(s)
June 25th, 2008 at 11:14 am
I wonder how drunk Lynch was? It sucks news outlets can’t say it without being sued.
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Rating: 3.25 / 5 with 7 rating(s)
June 25th, 2008 at 11:21 am
another fine example of our justice system at work.I hope this women sues him for everything he owns and then some. how in god’s name do you go from hitting someone not report it then get it busted down to a minor traffic violation? let’s hope the commishner comes down hard on this guy.it’s obvious he was drunk or he would have stopped amd sice when do the police negociate with suspects before arresting them?if that had been you or me the cops would have been at our work place the min. they knew who did and arrested us then.another example of money talking.
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Rating: 3.35 / 5 with 10 rating(s)
June 25th, 2008 at 11:42 am
Have you guys actually read the article?
Here’s what it says:
“Law enforcement officials have said that it was dark and raining, that the victim was wearing dark clothing, that the driver may have been distracted by another woman in front of the victim and that the driver did not try to hide the vehicle, which later was found in Lynch’s Hamburg driveway.
Sources also have said that both Lynch and his passenger, Bills rookie wide receiver Steve Johnson, have claimed they didn’t know their vehicle had struck anyone.
But Timothy G. O’Connell, the attorney for victim Kimberley Shpeley, has said that she and two friends claimed the SUV struck her, “slowed down and then came to a complete stop” before speeding off.
Other witnesses, though, have told investigators that the SUV never slowed down.”
http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/377851.html
There are also witnesses that say Lynch was drinking water before the hit and run:
http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/buffaloerie/story/373679.html
So, basically, the DA had a tough case to prove, which is why Lynch is getting only a traffic violation.
I also don’t see him getting punishment from the commissioner. He doesn’t hand out suspensions for traffic violations, does he?
Lynch won’t even be arrested in this case — in fact, he’s never been arrested in his life.
I don’t see Gooddell punishing somebody who wasn’t even arrested.
Lynch isn’t even eligible, I believe, for ProFootballTalk’s Turdwatch, and he won’t reset the “days without an arrest counter.”
Just because you think Lynch was drunk doesn’t mean he was actually drunk.
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Rating: 3.1 / 5 with 13 rating(s)
June 25th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
I love the outrage by people who see nothing but ‘hit and run’ headlines that lack zero comment from either Lynch OR the victim. I’m sorry but if a Porsche SUV hits someone, and all they have is bruises and a few stitches, I think it’s clear that this wasn’t a lady barreling over the windshield. It looks like he probably barely brushed her, maybe even with his sideview mirror. When it’s that late at night, I could even see him barely noticing. If one of your loved ones was in the same situation, you’d be outraged at their life being ruined due to a permanent record, year in prison, and hefty fine. Start being objective and stop being bias in my opinion.
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Rating: 3.45 / 5 with 8 rating(s)
June 25th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
“So, basically, the DA had a tough case to prove”
Except for, you know, an injured pedestrian and damage to Lynch’s vehicle. How can you not notice hitting someone anyway? Assuming for one second that that’s a valid defense in a hit and run case. No, this is a case of another NFL player getting another sweetheart deal from another local prosecutor. I hope she sues his ass off and wins, but first thing her lawyer needs to do is petition for a change of venue because I can’t see any of the local yokels agreeing that one of their heroes is responsible for something like that. THE GUY WASN’T EVEN ARRESTED.
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Rating: 3.15 / 5 with 7 rating(s)
June 25th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
“… If one of your loved ones was in the same situation, you’d be outraged at their life being ruined due to a permanent record, year in prison, and hefty fine. Start being objective and stop being bias in my opinion.”
Ah, no, why don’t you start being objective. What if the woman he hit had been left bleeding an unconscious and then died before she did not get medical attention because Lynch drove off rather than calling an ambulance. You can sniff his jock all you want, but he would just as soon hit you as her if given the chance.
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Rating: 3.65 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
June 25th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
“I love the outrage by people who see nothing but ‘hit and run’ headlines that lack zero comment from either Lynch OR the victim.”
I love the outrage expressed by people that prefer to minimize a hit and run case simply because the guy’s a football player. It was just a litle bit of a hit and run, right? Are you even willing to call it “hit and run”, gomer?
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Rating: 3.65 / 5 with 6 rating(s)
June 25th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
maybe we would not be so outraged if mr.quireboy had taken responsibility from the start instead of hiding behind lawyers and dragging it out for weeks. hey if you have done nothing wrong then you have nothing to hide right?and clintdog if that had been a member of your family involved I bet you would not be so sympathetic to lynch.maybe we will get all the facts when the victim sues him and the case goes to court but I have a feeling Mr. innocent will settle out of court so we will never know what realy happened.
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Rating: 3 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
June 25th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
He would have to be pretty drunk if he didn’t realize that his car made contact with a pedestrian.
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Rating: 3 / 5 with 4 rating(s)
June 25th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
robrocker, if Lynch was so innocent of any serious crime why didn’t he cooperate with the investigators?
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Rating: 3 / 5 with 6 rating(s)
June 25th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
It must be nice to be a rich football player in a small city or in a big city for that matter. You hit someone, causing bodily harm and leave the scene of the accident and are not even arrested??? Then on top of that they slap you on the wrist and give you a extremely minimal fine. Must be nice. What do you think would happen to and has happened to others who have done this?
It would be nice to see the NFL make a manditory suspension for leaving the scene of an accident. So far Lance Briggs and Marshon Lynch have escaped serious trouble by leaving the scene. Both were no doubt at the very least drunk. The NFLPA must have issued a memo to “Leave and Lawyer Up” in case of an accident (in which you are guilty).
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Rating: 3.4 / 5 with 5 rating(s)
June 25th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
His fine for the traffic ticket will be nothing compared to what he will end up paying her for a few scratches. All those bleeding heart liberals on the jury will award her far too much. Or his lawyer will advise him to overpay and settle just to avoid the trial. The only hope he has is to push out the trial date, have a great season and hope for a few Bills fans on the jury who are ticked off about the team eventually moving to Canada.
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Rating: 2 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
June 25th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
It was DARK, RAINING and 3:30 in the morning, and, according to eyewitnesses, another woman in front of the woman who got hit was DANCING and SINGING in the middle of the street.
In addition, police cameras and eyewitnesses showed that Lynch DROVE OFF and DIDN’T STOP after hitting the woman.
Another witness says she saw Lynch drinking WATER before the incident in question.
Source: http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/buffaloerie/story/368141.html
Now if you’re the DA, you don’t have much of a case to put this guy behind bars.
In fact, it seems Lynch didn’t even know he hit somebody.
As for keeping quiet, it’s the only safe way for a high-profile athlete in his position to proceed. It would be stupid to spill his guts to police against his attorney’s advice.
I know some of you want to paint Lynch as a thug.
But keep in mind, Lynch — despite his dreadlocks and grill — is a good kid.
He grew up in a very rough part of Oakland without getting into any trouble.
Not only has he not ever been arrested, but he’s never been inside a courtroom — that is, until this week.
In fact, Lynch is giving back to the community, with his 2nd annual Free Football Camp in Oakland:
http://www.buffalobills.com/blog/index.jsp?post_id=3503
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Rating: 3 / 5 with 6 rating(s)
June 25th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
First off I think his running style should be called “hit n’ run from this season on, and before we had “The Bus”, now we have “The SUV”, he won’t hesitate to run you over…Talk about a successful marketing campaign.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
June 25th, 2008 at 3:24 pm
robrocker “In fact, it seems”
Ok? Is it fact or assumtion?
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Rating: 1 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
June 25th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
Hey rob, stop being an idiot. I’m guessing that you are either a Bills fan or a Cowboys fan. Either way you’re an idiot. I know that all 150 people in Buffalo are happy that Marshon will be getting off and should be eligible to help them not win the Super Bowl again. It’s not anymore than us intelligent people expected to happen. Another NFL thug escaping punishment, what a suprise. Hope you enjoy Buffalo’s newest thug. Maybe you can start your own collection like Jerry Jones has. Good luck!
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Rating: 3 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
June 25th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
hey rob nobody is calling him a thug,just pointing out that because he is a football player he gets special treament. and just because he grew up in a tough neighberhood does not give him the right to hit somebody with his car and then drive on home like nothing happened.she may not have been severly injured but he hit her and left the scene which for anyone else is called a hit and run and you are arresed,but not this guy who even though he is “innocent” has to hide behind lawyers and not co-operate with authorities and tell them what happened.hey it’s great he gives back to the community but how does that make him immune to laws that apply to everyone else?I know the bills are the only reason you people in buffalo have a reason to live for but take the blinders off for a minute and ask yourself how you would react if it had been anyone else but a bill involved?
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
June 25th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
Wow…a free football camp! (Autographed pictures, footballs and jerseys sold separately).
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
June 25th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
From the info the brocker is providing it paints the picture of a drunk woman in the middle of the street probably walking into the side of his car as he drove by. From her injuries its clearly not a head on impact that would be impossible to miss. She got a couple of bruises and a cut that needed a few stitches. At 3 in the moring its dark and raining you’re watching (from what broker has posted) someone else in the street that you’re trying not to hid and someone behind you bumps into your car as your driving it might be hard to notice. I wonder exactly how much damage could have been done to the car knowing the injuries that she suffered it had to be minimal.
I don’t know about you people but in dark raining conditions my eyes are glued forward. Yes its hard to miss hitting someone of course that’s only true if you hit them with the front of the car which is clearly not true in this case. He would have a better chance of noticing it when it happened if it had been bright daylight instead of pitch black and raining.
What if she bled to death because he didn’t call 911? Well then it would be a completely different situation especially since it would be a different impact than what actually happened. Lets try dealing with the actual facts of what happened not what might have happened because it didn’t.
If he had nothing to hide why did he lawyer up? Yeah innocent people never get railroaded by the justice system. There is a reason why we have lawyers.
Oh he’ll settle out of court so we’ll never know what ‘really’ happened.
Uh its an traffic accident what exactly is going to come out that hasn’t already?
If someplace there is video or witnesses of behavior indicating drunken driving or drinking earlier in the night (which to date there hasn’t been) then this is outrageous. BUT if this is a sober man in a purely accidental situation you people really need to get over it. Yes I would have liked him to have stood up sooner but once again how do we know what he knew for sure when and what his legal council was?
You would also have a case if this man had a prior history of this behavior or any kind of negative criminal behavior and to my knowledge there isn’t any. Now if he has further incidents than yes he’s a scum bag and should be punished but from the facts that I’ve seen and with his present history this sounds accidental.
As for the victim she was barely injured but her irises of her eyes have been replaced by dollar signs right now. She’ll get a nice pay off for a couple of scratches. If only we could all bump into a NFL players car.
BTW don’t toss around bleeding heart liberal that has no basis in this discussion other than to make you feel superior to some imaginary group of people that don’t agree with you 100%.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
June 25th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
Amazing that anyone from a country that fought itself in the Civil War, kept an entire race without rights until the mid 60’s, fought a useless war in the 60’s - 70’s as well as a losing war today can even begin to comment on another country’s citizens. Look outside your borders for once and see how hated you are.
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Rating: 1 / 5 with 1 rating(s)