Tony Stewart hits rival driver, kills him in Sprint car race..

[Perfectlap]

Assumptions? We're not even past the stage of answering the big questions.
While its premature to condemn him as sharing in the guilt its also unfair to the deceased
To claim his death was entirely his own fault the way this Sheriff has.
Stewart's video will be analyzed and we'll see why he hit the gas so close to the disabled car and why he was that close in the first place. It may exonerate him or it could be the end of him. But if this were anyone one us behind the wheel many would absolutely find themselves facing charges of reckless endangerment. All it takes is one prosecutor who isn't convinced of your claim that you did everything possible to avoid a fatality. That video raises more questions than it answers.

[thstone]

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

While its premature to condemn him as sharing in the guilt its also unfair to the deceased. To claim his death was entirely his own fault the way this Sheriff has.

Presumably, the Sherriff has the most information. He was able to review the videotape, interview the witnesses, and interview Tony Stewart himself, all under the rules of a police investigation.

And again, presumably, the police investigation was conducted without bias.

Thus, the Sherriff's conclusions are (at this point) the best and fairest evaluation of the evidence available.

Of course, this investigation was limited to whether a crime was committed, not liability or fault. The latter will have to be decided by lawyers and courts as in the Paul Walker case.

[JayG]

Originally Posted by thstone

Of course, this investigation was limited to whether a crime was committed, not liability or fault. The latter will have to be decided by lawyers and courts as in the Paul Walker case.

and of course to no ones complete satisfaction

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by thstone

Presumably, the Sherriff has the most information. He was able to review the videotape, interview the witnesses, and interview Tony Stewart himself, all under the rules of a police investigation.

And again, presumably, the police investigation was conducted without bias.

Thus, the Sherriff's conclusions are (at this point) the best and fairest evaluation of the evidence available.

Of course, this investigation was limited to whether a crime was committed, not liability or fault. The latter will have to be decided by lawyers and courts as in the Paul Walker case.

Yes but it was too early for the Sheriff to announce a conclusion in the first place. The video that they have was reviewed and didn't move him, which is different than all the video that is possibly out there. All statements have not been taken, all the equipment in question has not been analyzed by experts in the field. And to make such a premature statement publicly where potential jurors may be watching is really a dumb idea.

This is the point where someone in his capacity would simply say "I will not speculate as this is an on-going investigation." It's been done a thousand times.
I can't think of another instance in fact where a Sheriff or Police Chief came out the day after, well before all the evidence was in. State's have limited resources and these inquiries take time.