PETER MOORE’s FAMILY SPEAKS …

!!PLANET EXCLUSIVE!! PETER MOORE’s FAMILY SPEAKS …THE BATTLE OF LETTERS or WHAT’S A JOURNALIST? WHO’S A JOURNALIST? THE PLANET RESPONDS TO BB EDITORIAL … plus … TWO CASES IN POINT THAT PUTS ‘FREE SPEECH’ TO A TEST (DO YOU DARE TAKE IT?)

(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, FRIDAY, JULY 13, 2012) — THE PLANETheard from a spokesman for the family of Peter Moore, victim of the negligent driving of Meredith Nilan.

Moore’s laborious recovery from his near-fatal injuries continues on schedule, energized by the fuel injection of family love and the determination of a strong man, who wants to regain as much of his prior life as possible. That prior life includes all the time from Peter Moore’s birth up to approximately 8:15 p.m. on the night of Dec. 8, 2011. That was the night Nilan ran into him with her SUV, after she crossed lanes on Winesap Road, Pittsfield, Mass. This action followed her attendance at a Berkshire Chamber of Commerce Christmas bacanalia, party held earlier that night at a restaurant in Great Barrington.

It’s not easy to recover from a life-changing event like getting run down by a negligent driver. When your neck is broken, when you suffer from traumatic brain injury, when you have broken bones, your have not only the physical recovery but also the mental, emotional, and spiritual one.  Peter Moore is handling that recovery as well as anyone could be expected to do. One thing above all, however, sticks in his craw.

He Can’t, But She Can? What’s Wrong with that Picture?

The Moore family spokesperson said Peter can’t get over the fact that under Commonwealth statute, he had to prove he was capable of operating a motor vehicle safely. His license was suspended for three months, the spokesperson says, until Moore could demonstrate his competence. Meredith Nilan, on the other hand, did not lose her privilege to drive, the spokesperson said.

“Peter fully understands why his license was suspended due to the traumatic brain injury caused by Ms. Nilan,” the spokesperson said. “Moreover, he fully supports the state of Massachusetts mandate that he prove that was capable of operating a motor vehicle before he was allowed to drive one. He just thinks that it’s grossly unfair that the person that caused his predicament was not similarly sanctioned. He was without his license for three months.She wasn’t.”

Fair point. THE PLANET was not aware of the statute regarding brain trauma and driving. It’s reasonable and necessary, of course. We identify with the Moores’ frustration. He, the victim, is assumed to be incapable of driving safely. She, whose negligence factually demonstrated her inability to drive safely, is assumed to be OK. In this particular case, it seems they got it reversed.