Ernie Tripke, RIP

[GA Russell]

The police officer who came upon James Dean's car crash has died.

Interesting obit at LA Times which I can't link to. Here's one point:

"They were driving west toward Paso Robles on Highway 466 shortly before 6 p.m. when an eastbound Ford driven by Donald G. Turnupseed, a 23-year-old student at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, turned left onto Highway 41, and the cars collided...Ernie was the ONLY official who actually recognized that Donald Turnupseed had failed to yield his Ford Tudor at the 466/41 Junction while making a left turn onto CA 41. Under CA law, Turnupseed could have been charged with second degree manslaughter resulting in a fatality --for failing to yield to the oncoming Porsche 550 Spyder, even though Dean may have been exceeding the speed limit. At the San Luis Obispo Inquest, contributory neligence against both Turnupseed and Dean was dismissed -- but as Ernie accurately pointed out in later interviews, that was a technical error, as Dean was deceased by reason of Turnupseed's actions. "

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2010/12/23/1419984/james-dean-car-crash.html

[AllenLowe]

well, if Dean was speeding, it makes the failure to yield incorrect - because in an intersection one judges the time one has based on reasonable speed of other cars.