‘I’m Not Blaming the Victim,’ Says Man Preparing to Blame the Victim
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A local man commented yesterday on a story of a recent traffic crash, Dumb Runner has learned, stressing that he’s not blaming the victim of the crash moments before doing exactly that.
Howard Jones, 64, left the comment on a news article, shared on Facebook, headlined, “Jogger Hit by Truck.” The article recounts a crash in which the driver of a Ford F-150 pickup truck hit and seriously injured a 45-year-old woman as she crossed a street during a run.
The crash occurred around 7 a.m. and the runner was in a crosswalk at the time, according to the article, which also noted that the runner was wearing “dark clothing” and that the driver “remained at the scene.”
Jones, a suburban father of four and frequent online commenter, read the headline and skimmed the short article before typing a response, sources said.
“I’m not blaming the victim here,” the comment began. “But these joggers need to watch where they’re going.”
“I can’t count the number of times I’ve almost hit a jogger or biker, coming out of nowhere, like they own the road,” Jones continued. “I don’t care who has the right of way, you go up against a two-ton truck and the truck is going to win, every time.”
Jones concluded his comment by advising “joggers” to stick to treadmills or parks.
Details of the crash remain hazy, but witnesses said the driver of the truck was turning right at a red light, “barely slowing down” as he did so, when he struck the victim.
The victim, who remains unidentified, was taken to a hospital, where she is reported to be recovering from multiple broken ribs, a collapsed lung, and a concussion.
In the meantime, sources said, Jones had moved on to leave a comment on an unrelated article, also on Facebook.
“I’m not a racist,” he wrote, “but …”
