Court Opinion

ID: 9695840
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-25 18:30:17.278276+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:20:16.963170
License: Public Domain

PRICE, Judge,
dissenting:
I must again dissent to the majority’s concept of sufficiency of evidence to sustain a conviction of Involuntary Manslaughter. Commonwealth v. Greer, 232 Pa.Super. 448, 335 A.2d 770 (1975) (dissenting opinion of Price, J., at p. 450).
In the instant case the majority accurately states the facts which, in view of the jury’s verdict of guilt, must *133be considered in the light most favorable to the verdict winner. From this evidence there is (a) evidence of a violation of the speed limit, (b) skid marks of 133 feet, buttressed by Commonwealth’s Exhibit C-5 which portrays the skid marks from all four wheels, (c) testimony of the screech of brakes and smoke coming from the tires of appellant’s car, (d) the victim’s bicycle coming to rest 53 feet beyond the skid marks and (e) the victim’s body, almost completely decapitated, being thrown into the air to a height exceeding that of a truck parked nearby and coming to rest 34 feet beyond the skid marks.
It is true that the nine year old victim may have acted, as many young children do, with an impulsive disregard of his own safety. Nevertheless, it is a fact that he had turned onto the roadway, and proceeded some distance before his bicycle was struck from the rear by appellant’s car.
This evidence does support a verdict of guilty of the crime of involuntary manslaughter since the jury could, and did, find appellant’s conduct to be a departure from prudent conduct which was a disregard of human life or an indifference to consequences.
I find no merit to appellant’s other allegations of error, and would affirm the judgment of sentence.