Staviski -- Suspended Sentence (merged) | Page 3 | Golden Skate

Staviski -- Suspended Sentence (merged)

why is everyone so hostile towards him? Like he's the only one that's ever made a mistake in his life? Let's not be so judgmental. I'm sure this guy's suffered enough too. you guys all sound as though you want HIM dead or in a coma or in prison for life or else justice won't be served?




I am Very hostile! He KILLED someone! And left another person in a bad way for life! So yes - I'm hostile.

I'm allowed to be judgmental. He Murdered someone. This person has a family and friends that are in pain. They deserve for me to stand up and say this was wrong. Both his victims deserve me standing up!

Yes, I have made mistakes. NO I have not killed before.

And yes life in prison for killing someone, seams very fair to me.
 
I am Very hostile! He KILLED someone! And left another person in a bad way for life! So yes - I'm hostile.

I'm allowed to be judgmental. He Murdered someone. This person has a family and friends that are in pain. They deserve for me to stand up and say this was wrong. Both his victims deserve me standing up!

Yes, I have made mistakes. NO I have not killed before.

And yes life in prison for killing someone, seams very fair to me.

He didn't murder someone, he killed someone accidentally. Yes, he was grossly negligent, and yes, it is his fault that this person is dead. But he didn't plan it, he didn't want it to happen. Bad stuff always happens and his mistake was that he made something like that more likely to happen because he was drunk while driving.

But it is not murder. There are judicial distinctions for a reason - in Germany it is bodily injury caused by negligence with fatal consequences - followed by manslaughter and than followed by murder. And Stavinski is guilty of the first one. He deserves punishment and perhaps he wasn't punished enough for his crime because of his celebrity status - but honestly, I think that a normal decent person is punished for life with a story like this.

Mimzy, I understand your incomprehension for Stavinski's crime. I am sure that you never killed someone like that. But it could always happen to you - to any of us. You can always make a mistake while driving your car, you don't have to be drunk for that. You can be absent for a few seconds, because you are thinking about something else, because you start looking for your headset to answer the phone, because you switch on the radio... Sometimes a situation can be your fault but the whole thing was so unfortunate, that you cannot be convicted of anything - but you are still responsible for the death of a human being.

All our actions have consequences and they can have fatal consequences. When I announced a few years ago that I plan to go to medschool most people were like: "Uhh, I couldn't do that, I would always be afraid of killing someone/hurting someone." and I always answered like this "Duh, I hope you know that you can always kill someone, with your car, with all your actions - you can leave a banana peel on the pavement, two hours later a 73-old woman slips because of it, she has a fractured tigh bone, has to go to the hospital, and dies 5 days after the operation of a pulmonary embolism. Basically that is the fault of that stupid banana peel."

Are you US-American? Did you vote for Bush? Congratulations, you just made yourself co-responsible for the deaths of more than a thousand US-Americans and even more Iraquis.

Didn't you vote for Bush? Well, this is pure speculation - but if Bush hadn't won the elections and you wouldn't have voted for him - all the non-Bush-voters + half of Europe could be responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands Kurdish people and Iraquis, perhaps Hussein would have started a new war down there? Who knows?

We can say that Stavinski's actions were wrong, that they had horrible consequences and we can feel with the victims. But lets try not to be holier-than-thou.
 
If he's put into jail for the rest of his life, how's he going to help pay for therapy for the surviving victim?

Yeah.............but you could say that about any criminal.

In US, an NHL player got 4 years in prison for accidentally killing the passenger in his car while DUI.............no-one else was injured, just the passenger. Four year's salary as an NHL would be a lot and think of the future years he likely would have played but will now lose due to his four years away from the game.............
 
Yeah.............but you could say that about any criminal.
In US, an NHL player got 4 years in prison for accidentally killing the passenger in his car while DUI.............no-one else was injured, just the passenger. Four year's salary as an NHL would be a lot and think of the future years he likely would have played but will now lose due to his four years away from the game.............

But in a criminal trial in the US no damages are ordered (those only come in civil cases). In this case damages were awarded. While they may not be so high by US standards they are apparently _very_ high for Bulgaria. The only way for him to pay is probably to keep working (unless the symbolism of him going to jail is more important to you than therapy for the survivor).
Or I suppose all his assets could be liquidated but this would also leave Denkova, an innocent party, in bad shape.
 
The symbolism goes far beyond this case. It sends a message to the people that this is okay or no biggie.

WRT no damages in USA...............I suggest that the four years away from a multi-million dollar a year salary is pretty substantial not to mention lost future earnings (I believe some NHLers make several mill per year). Martha Stewart spent 5-6 months in the slammer for simply lying, as will Marion Jones..............I am sure they all would rather pay than spend time in the slammer. ..........

The reason for making them go to jail is to send a message that their behaviour is not acceptable.

As for the young girl and the both victim's family, I agree there should be some access to funds through insurance to offset their medical costs & losses.
 
The reason for making them go to jail is to send a message that their behaviour is not acceptable.
As for the young girl and the both victim's family, I agree there should be some access to funds through insurance to offset their medical costs & losses.

I'm a pragmatist. In the real circumstances surrounding this case, from what I can tell, the practical, real world choices are:

a) jail time for Staviski and greatly reduced therapy/care for the young woman,

b) Staviski can work and better therapy/care for the young woman.

I'll choose b).

I've been (very briefly and extremely superficially) in Bulgaria and will admit I don't know enough about Bulgarian history, culture and social mores to say what's best in this situation beyond that.
 
But in a criminal trial in the US no damages are ordered (those only come in civil cases)

Not so. Most jurisdictions now have victim compensation laws. They don't award gazillions in punitive damages as a civil jury can, but actual expenses such as health care for an injured victim can be charged against the guilty party.

I think it's set up so a person is "fined" in addition to or instead of being incarcerated. But the fine paid to the court is turned over for victim compensation.Of course if a criminal is a deadbeat, the most payment you'll actually get is garnished prison wages. The fine will never be paid in full. But a criminal sentence can include a financial award.

Susan
 
I was thinking what might have been the rationales for this seemingly light sentence (in terms of the jail time, which is zero) as the news reports were too simplistic to understand the logic behind it.

Please correct me if I got wrong. But AFAK, I thought that he was charged for 1) DUI (much higher than the legal limit), 2) speed (was he? I am not sure), and 3) careless driving (namely, running the wrong side of the street; but also not slowing down much despite getting a warning from a police prior to the accident), which caused the fatal accident (one dead, one in coma, and other few ppl injured).

On the other hand, 1) The alcohol might not have completely ruined his cognitive functioning because he might have been driving okay prior to the accident and been sober enough to react quickly after the accident; 2) He also tried to save the lives instead of running away, and 3) It was rainy and dark, which could have been dangerous even for a sober person. These things may contribute to a lighter punishment.

Prior to the trial, the news always reported that he would be subject to 3-10 year jail time if he is found to be guilty.

It is reported that he was indeed found to be guilty. But he got 1) 2.5-year sentence which is suspended, resuling in no jail time. 2) He also got monetary "fine" which is said to be usually high from the country's standard.

The news report simply says that he was found to be guilty. Was he guilty for all of the things that were accused or even more? But was the punishment somehow balanced by the unusually high monetary fine?

Or was he found to be innocent for most or any of them? Was newer evidence found which led to a lighter punishment?

Source:
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/figureskating/story/2008/01/30/staviski-sentence.html

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ETA: It is reported elsewehere that the plaintiffs said they would appeal the verdict. So it's not all set yet.
http://sofiaecho.com/article/stavii...tence-in-drink-driving-case/id_27285/catid_66
 
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Please, no "kumbaya" for a drunk driver who killed one person and ruined the life of another, plus the effects on family members.
 
"One cannot get blood from a stone."

Manuela Gorsova needs money for medical treatment. Putting Maxim Staviski in jail just makes her more of a victim, if it prevents him from paying for that treatment.

I am very glad to see that some posters care more about Manuela getting the care she needs, than they do about vengeance. Many who have railed about Maxim not being in jail, never mention Manuela by name; it is as if she is some kind of abstract "cause" to them, rather than a very real person who needs financial help that a working Maxim Staviski can provide, and a jailed Maxim Staviski cannot provide.

Is Manuela Gorsova to become a victim twice? I am hoping that Manuela will recover completely and be able to go on with her life.
 
"One cannot get blood from a stone."

Manuela Gorsova needs money for medical treatment. Putting Maxim Staviski in jail just makes her more of a victim, if it prevents him from paying for that treatment.

I am very glad to see that some posters care more about Manuela getting the care she needs, than they do about vengeance. Many who have railed about Maxim not being in jail, never mention Manuela by name; it is as if she is some kind of abstract "cause" to them, rather than a very real person who needs financial help that a working Maxim Staviski can provide, and a jailed Maxim Staviski cannot provide.

Is Manuela Gorsova to become a victim twice? I am hoping that Manuela will recover completely and be able to go on with her life.

Point taken - well said! :agree:
 
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