You don't get in an accident every day, and you never know how you're going to react until it happens. I really, really wish she would have reacted differently. But it is what it is.
This. Thanks Knapplc--people don't realize how out of the ordinary this situation is.
Fortunately, I graduated when Driver's Ed classes was still a requirement during high school--one of the things they teach you is what to do, say, and how to act during an accident, such as:
-Pulling out of the way of traffic
-Checking on the other driver
-Swapping insurance information
-Never saying 'sorry', 'I apologize', or 'fault' in your discussion with the other driver
-Documenting the damage as you see it on that day and recognizing an estimated dollar amount (some states, like Texas, won't bother with police reports unless there's an injury or property/car damage is over $1000 now--and sometimes you still have to politely press the issue if the officer either doesn't care or is estimating the damage incorrectly)
-CPR
Lots of things here, and considering most kids don't get this type of class anymore (in Texas, no Driver's Ed is required any longer), I could see a kid panicking and not thinking clearly. If she did indeed pull over, calm down, and call 911, then there's no sense in throwing the book at her.
And personally, even *with* the class, I've unfortunately used this information more times than I like--fortunately, I was only at fault once, but in Texas, a new car is like an accident magnet. Bad karma, I suppose.
As for Lauren, she's a kid. Fortunately, the cyclist wasn't hurt, but that doesn't excuse her from what she's done. But she can do more good for herself and the community on the court, which is why suspending her for the rest of the year wouldn't benefit anyone.
I could easily see her suspended for the remainder of Big 10 play, sans tourney. Anything beyond that...probably not. But that's just my $.02.