Uh oh?

A bicyclist was charged with manslaughter after he ran through a stop sign and struck and killed a 71-year-old woman, police said Monday.

Jean Calder died at Good Samaritan Hospital after she was struck Friday night as she crossed a street at an unmarked crosswalk, Corvallis police Capt. Ron Noble said.

Christopher A. Lightning, 51, was charged with manslaughter and reckless driving.

"A car and a bicycle are both vehicles and if they are operated in a way that could be criminal, then charges are filed equally in both situations," Noble said. "He was going right through a stop sign."

Link.

This story isn't as bad as I feared when I saw the headline. I feared the bicyclist was being prosecuted for riding his bike under the influence, but there's no mention of alcohol in this story. That's a good thing. I occasionally ride my bicycle when drinking, which I always thought was the responsible thing to do. Apparently, legislators agree: Michigan does not have a law against drunk riding.

Note: Any time you kill a person by accident, you risk manslaughter charges, no matter what the activity.