By now you’re sick of Wall Street fat cats getting the bailout, while you and I pay taxes, make rent on time, and generally claw our way through life. Well, more good news–chalk another fat-cat financial industry type on to your list “people who really need a kick in the chucks”: Martin Erzinger, 52, of Denver.
Erzinger hit-and-ran a cyclist near Eagle, outside Vail, while driving his 2010 (because a 2009 just wouldn’t look right, Geeves!) Mercedes Benz. He left the cyclist for dead, drove to a nearby parking lot, and then phoned Mercedes Benz to report his car had been damaged and he needed a tow.
Back in the ditch (see a parallel here between the financial “services” industry and the average American?), the cyclist–Dr. Steven Milo, 35, of New York–lay shattered, with bleeding on the brain, a spinal injury, damage to his knee and scapula, and of course his bicycle destroyed. A passerby stopped to help and luckily Milo survived.
The cops apprehended Erzinger a while later, and the moneyed dimwit claimed he didn’t realize he’d hit anyone. Uh, sure. Well, the DA didn’t buy that story and filed charges against Erzinger. But wait–maybe the DA DID buy the story: instead of charging Erzinger with a felony for leaving the scene after nearly killing Milo, the DA reduced the charges to two misdemeanors, explaining 1) it’d be more likely to convict Erzinger on those charges, rather than go to a jury trial for a felony and 2) Erzinger would be more able to pay restitution without a felony on his record.
To quote DA Mark Hurlbert, “Felony convictions have some pretty serious job implications for someone in Mr. Erzinger’s profession, and that entered into (the decision to forgo a felony charge).”
Now, if you or I had massacred DA Hurlbert, do you think our profession would’ve mattered to him? Why not let Erzinger sell his Benz, house, and other JUNK to pay for damages, like you and I would?
Dr. Milo is currently healing in New York, with his wife and two children. He faces spinal headaches, spinal surgery to repair a disc, and multiple other surgeries to remedy scaring and damage to his knee and scapula. He’s also unable to continue his work–performing liver transplants.
So, on paper: a man who performs life-saving operations is out of work, possibly permanently, due to the unconscionable actions of a money man for Morgan Stanley Smith Barney with more than a billion dollars under management. The DA doesn’t want to put a felony on the money man’s record, because it might impact his ability to pay restitution. But wait…
Dr. Steven Milo made it clear the case “has always been about responsibility, not money.”
Hurlbert ignored Milo’s input and dropped the felony charges anyway.
Now what?
First, sign the petition at Change.org urging DA Hurlbert to reinstate the felony charges. Second, contact DA Hurlbert’s office expressing your thoughts on the situation: 5th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, Mr. Mark Hurlbert, District Attorney, 955 Chambers Rd., P.O. Box 295, Eagle, CO 81631, (970) 328-6947. Third, contact the Colorado District Attorney Disciplinary Council at (303) 893-8121, ext. 1, to share your thoughts (you’ll be expected to answer several questions and take a short interview).
And last, watch yourself while you’re out riding your bike. What an ugly episode this is…when are we going to realize these money people don’t care a goddam about anybody but themselves?! Let’s make sure this guy gets nothing but fair and total justice–he almost killed somebody!
