11 ms·

Veteran developer Steve Lacey (Google, Microsoft) Killed in Auto Accident

187 points by msredmond 15y ago

rhizome 15y ago
disaggregated: http://www.king5.com/news/Road-rage-suspected-in-fatal-Kirkland-crash-126093229.html http://www.king5.com/news/Road-rage-suspected-in-fatal-Kirkl...
- kenjackson 15y ago
  Given the high rate of deaths on the road, the fact that we still don't take wreckless driving very seriously is frustrating. Accidents happen, but deaths due to aggressive driving should be treated like someone aggressively using a firearm in a populated area.
  - city41 15y ago
    He was charged with Vehicular Homicide[0], which is a felony. I'm curious how many years of jail he gets. Wikipedia states that in Georgia it's 3-15 years of prison, and in Louisiana it's 2-20 years. I agree it'd be nice if this was more consistent state to state though. [0]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicular_homicide#Washington http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicular_homicide#Washington
    - VladRussian 15y ago
      the real case right now in GA: - the DUI guy killed 4 year boy - 6months - the mom of the boy who were walking across the road with her 3 children - 3 years http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/mom-convicted-son-jaywalking-death-never-end-151356884.html http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/mom-convicted-son-jaywal...
      - kenjackson 15y ago
        Goodness this is horrible. That man, Jerry Guy, admitted he had been drinking and taking prescribed painkillers the night of the accident, and had been convicted in two earlier hit-and-runs. He served six months in jail for the crime. Additionally, as someone noted in the linked story, the bus stop was nearly a mile away from the crosswalk. They ask people to use public transportation, but make it as inconvenient as possible to do so.
        dennisgorelik 15y ago
        0.3 miles is not even close to a mile.
        rhizome 15y ago
        Have you ever tried to walk a quarter-mile with a four year-old?
      - msredmond 15y ago
        Wow, that's just mind-blowingly wrong.
      - deleted 15y ago
        [deleted]
      - msie 15y ago
        She hasn't been sentenced yet so hopefully the judge will go easy on her.
        VladRussian 15y ago
        the fact that she was convicted at all defies logic - how would her and her children being on crosswalk have stopped the drunk driver which had 2 previous hit-and-runs ? (until of course it is a crosswalk above or below the road - not likely seeing the photographs of the road and the neighborhood). Even then, lets suppose instead of the drunk driver there were a gang shooting (or just a drunk shooting cans) and the stray bullet - would she still be convicted of the jaywalking? Dissolution/de-emphasizing of the importance of "mens rea" while increasing the punishment for just being at the wrong place at the wrong time is very worrisome tendency.
        scarmig 15y ago
        No, it makes perfect sense. She's black, and she faced an all-white jury. This is in suburban Atlanta. This is where "jury of your peers" can be pretty useful. Apparently none of the jurors had ever ridden in a bus before. I really also want to put the city planner up for trial, because the reason she jay walked was that the nearest legal crosswalk was half a mile away from the bus stop. In suburban Atlanta, however, I've never seen any evidence that city planners even exist.
      - shinratdr 15y ago
        > Nelson also said that the jury had "never been in my shoes," because each of them answered that they had never taken public transportation before. That's a "jury of your peers" alright.
  - nplusone 15y ago
    That is exactly what cars are. They are weapons loaded with ammunition and ready to be fired. It baffles me that many people don't seem to be aware of this material reality.
    - jrockway 15y ago
      Familiarity. "Hmm, I've spent thousands of hours driving carelessly and haven't killed anyone. Why start being careful now? It'll just make me late to my meeting." (As a cyclist, I think people drive a lot better than they are made out to, however. I can't think of any time anyone's endangered my life.)
      - olefoo 15y ago
        As a longtime bicycle commuter and rider I have several times been on the receiving end of aggressive driving that was clearly intended to intimidate if not outright kill or injure. It is (fortunately) rare, but there are some people who do not seem to understand the responsibilities that come with the privilege of driving a motor vehicle.
      - sliverstorm 15y ago
        You are probably a pretty good cyclist then. As best I can tell, cyclist's opinions of me as a driver tend to be directly correlated to how far into my lane they ride. The ones that ride smack-dab in the middle of the lane on a 2-lane highway can be counted on to shake their fist at you any time you don't use the entire other lane for passing.
        luchak 15y ago
        As best I can tell, cyclist's opinions of me as a driver tend to be directly correlated to how far into my lane they ride. If there are parked cars, you have to move into the lane or risk getting doored. Near intersections, you have to move into the lane or people will cut you off and turn right in front of you when you're going straight. If the road has no shoulder, you have to move into the lane to dissuade people from running you off the road by trying to pass with insufficient space (and to give yourself some margin in case someone tries). The same holds if the shoulder is full of debris. If you're descending a hill, you have to move into the lane so you can maneuver around turns. Any safe cyclist will spend some time taking a lane of traffic.
  - speckledjim 15y ago
    The number of deaths is around 90 a day in the US. That's down from like 115 a day 10 years ago. Still more to be done, but I don't think it's as high as some think.
    - reinhardt 15y ago
      The number of deaths is around 90 a day in the US. (...) I don't think it's as high as some think. Right, it's almost as low as the worst killing spree in Norway. Move along, nothing to see here.
      - speckledjim 15y ago
        OTOH, around 60 people die per hour in the US from cancer.
        onan_barbarian 15y ago
        Motor vehicle accidents kill the young (rarely); cancer and cardiovascular disease kill the old (frequently). Oddly enough, people regard a 4 year old killed by/in a car as a worse outcome than that same 4 year old growing up to be an 89 year old killed by cancer or heart disease.
deleted 15y ago
[deleted]
amichail 15y ago
It's time to have mandatory computer controlled cars. Driving manually should be illegal unless done on a race track.
- ghurlman 15y ago
  As a developer, you should know better than that.
  - amichail 15y ago
    As a human, you should know the limits of the human brain. Driving is a task best suited for computers. In a few decades, people will look back with amazement at the crazy risks people took by driving manually.
    - z0r 15y ago
      Perhaps in a few decades more, people will look back in amazement at the wastefulness of suburban sprawl as well designed urban centers and public mass-transit replaces the need for automobiles? (In the same spirit as your prediction!)
    - sipior 15y ago
      Amazement, and a wistful longing for a simple freedom enjoyed in the distant, halcyon past. Before nervous, frightened people in denial of their own conspicuous mortality decided to remove yet another source of fun and excitement because of the irresponsible actions of a few. I think the leading cause of death in "a few decades" will be profound boredom. (Also, whilst a computer may indeed be well-suited to drive my car as a matter of principle, there is still the small matter of it being programmed by humans...)
      - swombat 15y ago
        Deadly car accidents aren't the actions of "a few". Anyone can cause one through inattentive driving, tiredness, mobile phone usage, and of course simple lack of experience. The other tragic thing about car accidents is that your mistakes can kill not only yourself, but also many other people. You might argue (though I'd disagree) that someone who's been driving for 10 hours straight deserves to die in an accident, but you certainly can't argue that the family of 5 that he crashed into head-on deserved it too. To suggest these countless people need to die to satisfy your need for thrills is somewhat like suggesting that vaccines are boring because they take away the excitement of not knowing which of your children will live to an adult age.
free 15y ago
Googler or not, it is sad to see a life being taken away that could have been avoided. It bothers me no end that by just following basic rules and safety mechanisms, so many lives could be saved, but we still hear the same tragic stories day in and day out. I've been surrounded with tragic news of accidents last week and also bothered that I might be a victim with no fault of mine.
- deleted 15y ago
  [deleted]
- wushupork 15y ago
  What's also sad is if it wasn't Steve Lacey or somebody in the industry this article would have probably been flagged and buried. I too am bothered by the fact that I can be the best driver and never get into an accident only to be killed by some fool who never should be in a car in the first place.
sliverstorm 15y ago
Oh good, another rager in an SUV. Why is it always an SUV?
- sipior 15y ago
  Because the guy driving a compact is under no illusions regarding his odds of surviving a crash :-)
  - runevault 15y ago
    Which is amusing since a fair few SUVs are top heavy and easily flip over <_< (technically not an issue with straight on front/rear crash, but still)
  - tomjen3 15y ago
    Actually given how safe modern cars are, you are quite likely to survive some pretty serious crashes.
    - sipior 15y ago
      That's true. You'll forgive me if I drive as though it wasn't ;-)
ahmetalpbalkan 15y ago
RIP. Here's his Google+ page. https://plus.google.com/108067740959569006573 https://plus.google.com/108067740959569006573 old programmers never die, they just recurse.
- xigit 15y ago
  I just found his G+ page yesterday and add him to one of my G+ circle. So this news really surprise me. My condolences to his family.
ChristianMarks 15y ago
From the article: Lacey was apparently the victim of road rage, and not the intended victim, either. An imbecile (that authorities believe had been drinking) smashed into him in pursuit of another car. If I were a journalist, I would not be employing terms like "imbecile"--especially not to refer to someone capable of road rage.
- keiferski 15y ago
  It's poor professionalism and poor writing, not poor self-preservation. I doubt that the writer is putting himself in danger by calling someone an imbecile.
  - doyoulikeworms 15y ago
    Especially since it would seem that the drunk driver would be imprisoned for his actions.
  - ChristianMarks 15y ago
    It's all of those, of course. An egregious word choice could very well endanger a writer's career.
quizbiz 15y ago
Tragic. Just a few days ago, he celebrated his tenth wedding anniversary... https://plus.google.com/108067740959569006573/posts/LJ1Z2BvhXCt https://plus.google.com/108067740959569006573/posts/LJ1Z2Bvh...
- todayiamme 15y ago
  It makes me realise that life can end in seconds, and I did nothing to cherish it and my loved ones today.
  - Hisoka 15y ago
    Me neither. I was very complacent too and complained about lots of things today. Ah well, I can start tomorrow...
vaksel 15y ago
what kind of car was he driving? I know it says BMW...but I can't really imagine getting killed by a car that's already slowed down enough due to rolling. Unless it was a convertible, then I can somewhat see it...but even then it's kinda hard to imagine as well
- chaz 15y ago
  M3 Convertible. http://www.king5.com/news/Road-rage-suspected-in-fatal-Kirkland-crash-126093229.html http://www.king5.com/news/Road-rage-suspected-in-fatal-Kirkl...
  - RomP 15y ago
    Actually, it's M3 _Coupe_: the roof has been cut off by the emergency crew. You can see the bottom parts of the C-pillars in the video on king5.com
- Riley 15y ago
  Here's an article with more photos of both vehicles, and a video of local news coverage: http://www.kirotv.com/news/28655663/detail.html http://www.kirotv.com/news/28655663/detail.html
ltamake 15y ago
That's awful. RIP. :(
Hisoka 15y ago
Life is unfair. Unfortunately, there's not much you can say when these things happen. You just have to remember that any day can be your last, that you can't live life with any regrets. As for his wife, it'll take time to recover from this. Death is a part of life. It'll happen to everyone of us eventually.
mkramlich 15y ago
It's quite possible that the drunk who killed Steve Lacey may end up serving less jail time than Aaron Schwartz will for running a mass file download script. Perspectives on our law: mind blown, consistently.

187 points by msredmond 15y ago

disaggregated: http://www.king5.com/news/Road-rage-suspected-in-fatal-Kirkland-crash-126093229.html http://www.king5.com/news/Road-rage-suspected-in-fatal-Kirkl...

kenjackson 15y ago
Given the high rate of deaths on the road, the fact that we still don't take wreckless driving very seriously is frustrating. Accidents happen, but deaths due to aggressive driving should be treated like someone aggressively using a firearm in a populated area.
- city41 15y ago
  He was charged with Vehicular Homicide[0], which is a felony. I'm curious how many years of jail he gets. Wikipedia states that in Georgia it's 3-15 years of prison, and in Louisiana it's 2-20 years. I agree it'd be nice if this was more consistent state to state though. [0]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicular_homicide#Washington http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicular_homicide#Washington
  - VladRussian 15y ago
    the real case right now in GA: - the DUI guy killed 4 year boy - 6months - the mom of the boy who were walking across the road with her 3 children - 3 years http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/mom-convicted-son-jaywalking-death-never-end-151356884.html http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/mom-convicted-son-jaywal...
    - kenjackson 15y ago
      Goodness this is horrible. That man, Jerry Guy, admitted he had been drinking and taking prescribed painkillers the night of the accident, and had been convicted in two earlier hit-and-runs. He served six months in jail for the crime. Additionally, as someone noted in the linked story, the bus stop was nearly a mile away from the crosswalk. They ask people to use public transportation, but make it as inconvenient as possible to do so.
      - dennisgorelik 15y ago
        0.3 miles is not even close to a mile.
        rhizome 15y ago
        Have you ever tried to walk a quarter-mile with a four year-old?
    - msredmond 15y ago
      Wow, that's just mind-blowingly wrong.
    - deleted 15y ago
      [deleted]
    - msie 15y ago
      She hasn't been sentenced yet so hopefully the judge will go easy on her.
      - VladRussian 15y ago
        the fact that she was convicted at all defies logic - how would her and her children being on crosswalk have stopped the drunk driver which had 2 previous hit-and-runs ? (until of course it is a crosswalk above or below the road - not likely seeing the photographs of the road and the neighborhood). Even then, lets suppose instead of the drunk driver there were a gang shooting (or just a drunk shooting cans) and the stray bullet - would she still be convicted of the jaywalking? Dissolution/de-emphasizing of the importance of "mens rea" while increasing the punishment for just being at the wrong place at the wrong time is very worrisome tendency.
        scarmig 15y ago
        No, it makes perfect sense. She's black, and she faced an all-white jury. This is in suburban Atlanta. This is where "jury of your peers" can be pretty useful. Apparently none of the jurors had ever ridden in a bus before. I really also want to put the city planner up for trial, because the reason she jay walked was that the nearest legal crosswalk was half a mile away from the bus stop. In suburban Atlanta, however, I've never seen any evidence that city planners even exist.
    - shinratdr 15y ago
      > Nelson also said that the jury had "never been in my shoes," because each of them answered that they had never taken public transportation before. That's a "jury of your peers" alright.
- nplusone 15y ago
  That is exactly what cars are. They are weapons loaded with ammunition and ready to be fired. It baffles me that many people don't seem to be aware of this material reality.
  - jrockway 15y ago
    Familiarity. "Hmm, I've spent thousands of hours driving carelessly and haven't killed anyone. Why start being careful now? It'll just make me late to my meeting." (As a cyclist, I think people drive a lot better than they are made out to, however. I can't think of any time anyone's endangered my life.)
    - olefoo 15y ago
      As a longtime bicycle commuter and rider I have several times been on the receiving end of aggressive driving that was clearly intended to intimidate if not outright kill or injure. It is (fortunately) rare, but there are some people who do not seem to understand the responsibilities that come with the privilege of driving a motor vehicle.
    - sliverstorm 15y ago
      You are probably a pretty good cyclist then. As best I can tell, cyclist's opinions of me as a driver tend to be directly correlated to how far into my lane they ride. The ones that ride smack-dab in the middle of the lane on a 2-lane highway can be counted on to shake their fist at you any time you don't use the entire other lane for passing.
      - luchak 15y ago
        As best I can tell, cyclist's opinions of me as a driver tend to be directly correlated to how far into my lane they ride. If there are parked cars, you have to move into the lane or risk getting doored. Near intersections, you have to move into the lane or people will cut you off and turn right in front of you when you're going straight. If the road has no shoulder, you have to move into the lane to dissuade people from running you off the road by trying to pass with insufficient space (and to give yourself some margin in case someone tries). The same holds if the shoulder is full of debris. If you're descending a hill, you have to move into the lane so you can maneuver around turns. Any safe cyclist will spend some time taking a lane of traffic.
- speckledjim 15y ago
  The number of deaths is around 90 a day in the US. That's down from like 115 a day 10 years ago. Still more to be done, but I don't think it's as high as some think.
  - reinhardt 15y ago
    The number of deaths is around 90 a day in the US. (...) I don't think it's as high as some think. Right, it's almost as low as the worst killing spree in Norway. Move along, nothing to see here.
    - speckledjim 15y ago
      OTOH, around 60 people die per hour in the US from cancer.
      - onan_barbarian 15y ago
        Motor vehicle accidents kill the young (rarely); cancer and cardiovascular disease kill the old (frequently). Oddly enough, people regard a 4 year old killed by/in a car as a worse outcome than that same 4 year old growing up to be an 89 year old killed by cancer or heart disease.

deleted 15y ago

[deleted]

amichail 15y ago

It's time to have mandatory computer controlled cars. Driving manually should be illegal unless done on a race track.

ghurlman 15y ago
As a developer, you should know better than that.
- amichail 15y ago
  As a human, you should know the limits of the human brain. Driving is a task best suited for computers. In a few decades, people will look back with amazement at the crazy risks people took by driving manually.
  - z0r 15y ago
    Perhaps in a few decades more, people will look back in amazement at the wastefulness of suburban sprawl as well designed urban centers and public mass-transit replaces the need for automobiles? (In the same spirit as your prediction!)
  - sipior 15y ago
    Amazement, and a wistful longing for a simple freedom enjoyed in the distant, halcyon past. Before nervous, frightened people in denial of their own conspicuous mortality decided to remove yet another source of fun and excitement because of the irresponsible actions of a few. I think the leading cause of death in "a few decades" will be profound boredom. (Also, whilst a computer may indeed be well-suited to drive my car as a matter of principle, there is still the small matter of it being programmed by humans...)
    - swombat 15y ago
      Deadly car accidents aren't the actions of "a few". Anyone can cause one through inattentive driving, tiredness, mobile phone usage, and of course simple lack of experience. The other tragic thing about car accidents is that your mistakes can kill not only yourself, but also many other people. You might argue (though I'd disagree) that someone who's been driving for 10 hours straight deserves to die in an accident, but you certainly can't argue that the family of 5 that he crashed into head-on deserved it too. To suggest these countless people need to die to satisfy your need for thrills is somewhat like suggesting that vaccines are boring because they take away the excitement of not knowing which of your children will live to an adult age.

free 15y ago

Googler or not, it is sad to see a life being taken away that could have been avoided. It bothers me no end that by just following basic rules and safety mechanisms, so many lives could be saved, but we still hear the same tragic stories day in and day out. I've been surrounded with tragic news of accidents last week and also bothered that I might be a victim with no fault of mine.

deleted 15y ago
[deleted]
wushupork 15y ago
What's also sad is if it wasn't Steve Lacey or somebody in the industry this article would have probably been flagged and buried. I too am bothered by the fact that I can be the best driver and never get into an accident only to be killed by some fool who never should be in a car in the first place.

sliverstorm 15y ago

Oh good, another rager in an SUV. Why is it always an SUV?

sipior 15y ago
Because the guy driving a compact is under no illusions regarding his odds of surviving a crash :-)
- runevault 15y ago
  Which is amusing since a fair few SUVs are top heavy and easily flip over <_< (technically not an issue with straight on front/rear crash, but still)
- tomjen3 15y ago
  Actually given how safe modern cars are, you are quite likely to survive some pretty serious crashes.
  - sipior 15y ago
    That's true. You'll forgive me if I drive as though it wasn't ;-)

ahmetalpbalkan 15y ago

RIP. Here's his Google+ page. https://plus.google.com/108067740959569006573 https://plus.google.com/108067740959569006573 old programmers never die, they just recurse.

xigit 15y ago
I just found his G+ page yesterday and add him to one of my G+ circle. So this news really surprise me. My condolences to his family.

ChristianMarks 15y ago

From the article: Lacey was apparently the victim of road rage, and not the intended victim, either. An imbecile (that authorities believe had been drinking) smashed into him in pursuit of another car. If I were a journalist, I would not be employing terms like "imbecile"--especially not to refer to someone capable of road rage.

keiferski 15y ago
It's poor professionalism and poor writing, not poor self-preservation. I doubt that the writer is putting himself in danger by calling someone an imbecile.
- doyoulikeworms 15y ago
  Especially since it would seem that the drunk driver would be imprisoned for his actions.
- ChristianMarks 15y ago
  It's all of those, of course. An egregious word choice could very well endanger a writer's career.

quizbiz 15y ago

Tragic. Just a few days ago, he celebrated his tenth wedding anniversary... https://plus.google.com/108067740959569006573/posts/LJ1Z2BvhXCt https://plus.google.com/108067740959569006573/posts/LJ1Z2Bvh...

todayiamme 15y ago
It makes me realise that life can end in seconds, and I did nothing to cherish it and my loved ones today.
- Hisoka 15y ago
  Me neither. I was very complacent too and complained about lots of things today. Ah well, I can start tomorrow...

vaksel 15y ago

what kind of car was he driving? I know it says BMW...but I can't really imagine getting killed by a car that's already slowed down enough due to rolling. Unless it was a convertible, then I can somewhat see it...but even then it's kinda hard to imagine as well

chaz 15y ago
M3 Convertible. http://www.king5.com/news/Road-rage-suspected-in-fatal-Kirkland-crash-126093229.html http://www.king5.com/news/Road-rage-suspected-in-fatal-Kirkl...
- RomP 15y ago
  Actually, it's M3 _Coupe_: the roof has been cut off by the emergency crew. You can see the bottom parts of the C-pillars in the video on king5.com
Riley 15y ago
Here's an article with more photos of both vehicles, and a video of local news coverage: http://www.kirotv.com/news/28655663/detail.html http://www.kirotv.com/news/28655663/detail.html

ltamake 15y ago

That's awful. RIP. :(

Hisoka 15y ago

Life is unfair. Unfortunately, there's not much you can say when these things happen. You just have to remember that any day can be your last, that you can't live life with any regrets. As for his wife, it'll take time to recover from this. Death is a part of life. It'll happen to everyone of us eventually.

mkramlich 15y ago

It's quite possible that the drunk who killed Steve Lacey may end up serving less jail time than Aaron Schwartz will for running a mass file download script. Perspectives on our law: mind blown, consistently.