Hello everyone,

I wanted to update regarding the accident discussed in this thread.

My name is Sukhneet, and I was the driver of the Scion tC that day.

If anyone has any questions or would like to follow-up, just let me know.

Also, I'm inspired by the people on here sharing personal stories and urging each other to drive safely. I wish you all the best.

 

Why would you come on here and admit to being that guy?

Why did you try and race a car you would obviously lose to?

Is it wrong to say you should have crashed and burnt?

 

He's here because he's a lot bigger man than you are, Kyle, and yes it is wrong to say that.

Sukhneet, I hope you understand that some of the folks here will attack or say very unkind things to/about you.

For myself, I applaud your bravery in coming on here and being open about something that I'm sure hurt you very much - and likely still hurts.

Nothing will bring Rishi back, but I hope talking about this will help you heal.

Welcome to ScionLife.

Tom

 

Firstly, than you very much for your kind words Tom. I also appreciate your words of advice. I don't blame anyone for their feelings. I know that I've judged people many times based off of incomplete information. It happens.

To answer your Q's spicy:

1. I'm not too sure. I searched my name online for the first time in years, found, then read through this thread. I felt a desire to say something.

I think it can be helpful for people to hear the whole story. Hopefully it serves as a story of caution, and maybe hope, to others.

Going through the criminal justice system changed me profoundly. The more I go through life, the less I believe in our system (the US') of locking people up. It destroys lives, families and communities. Those communities collectively form the United States. We're all hurting from broken communities. The only reason I'm where I am today is because of the community support, our close ties with Rishi's family and my own family. I believe that there's a better way to hold people accountable for our individual actions and mistakes. Hopefully my story can help convey that.

I guess this is also my way of keeping Rishi alive. He was a dear friend and an amazing person. Hopefully this story can serve to remind others to cherish this life we have and the people we care about most.

2. We weren't racing. He was following my car that day to my house. We headed over to play video games at 2:30pm on a Wednesday. I was speeding though, and entirely wrong to do so.

The jury returned a verdict with a charge of vehicular assault, as Tom pointed out. They determined that rather than driving recklessly, I drove with disregard for the safety of others. That's part of the reason why the sentence was towards the middle of the suggested range.

3. You're free to say whatever you feel. If you feel that rather than try to be a productive and positive member of society, I should lose my life, that's up to you. I'm not here to pass judgment on anyone.



I'm not going to type everything out at once. If anyone's interested, I'm more than happy to continue answering any and all questions.

Again, thank you so much for your kindness Tom. The healing took place, due entirely to community support. Rishi's family is also doing much better. They're truly amazing people.

 

I understand, Sukhneet, and agree that so long as Rishi is remembered by friends and family, he is still here with us in some way.

Glad everyone has been healing.

Take care.

 

Wow, as I read through all the pages here on this thread to find out the outcome, never thought I'd hear anything from the Driver of the Scion.

Kinda gave me goose bumps.

Sukhneet, wow it takes a lot of courage to come on here and ID yourself. I would think it would be another step for you in healing. Kudos for that.

My questions would be.

1) what have you been doing since the trial?

2) have you done any community service for young driver awareness?

3) do you now drive a car, and if so, what kind, and have you recieved any traffic violations since?

4) are you and Rishi's family on good terms?

5) Do you relive the accident on a daily basis after all these years?

6) Have you forgiven yourself?

Look, I know everyone makes mistakes and I can almost imagine what you have been through and I'm not here to judge or jump to any conclusions.

CJ

 

I really do feel sorry for everyone involved in this situation. I am very glad you are man enough to come in here and speak knowing how people judge you.

I am on the complete opposite spectrum that most are on these incidences though but that is just my opinion and I get flamed every time I bring it up. I am very glad you didn't get punished too harshly and you realize you were wrong and are working on changing your ways. I really hope this did change you and hopefully nothing like this will ever happen again.

 

I remember when this was first posted. I can't believe it was 6 years ago.

One thing I hope people will realize is that Sukhneet wasn't doing anything worse than Rishi. Spicy says, "Is it wrong to say you should have crashed and burnt?" Reversing outcomes would change nothing but the names. Rishi would have been charged.
Sukhneet never forced Rishi to speed, they were both young and never thought anything would happen. Sukhneet didn't cause the BMW to crash. Speed, conditions, and lack of driving experience caused it. Rishi paid the ultimate price for his choices that night and Sukhneet has to live the rest of his life with the fallout from his.

As for a question for you, Sukhneet, I'd like to know what sort of civil suits came from it.

 

Give tc drivers a bad name, hahahahaba

 

Because that's hard LOL

 

Hey CJ, I apologize for taking over a year to respond to your questions.

1) Since then, I got into the University of Washington and finished up a B.A. I joined Sigma Beta Rho Fraternity, and did my best to give back.

In 2011, I started law school at the University of Minnesota. It was a long journey to get there, but all the hard work paid off. I came to law school thinking I could make a bigger impact this way. The past few years (even before law school), I've become convinced that starting a business is even better.

That's why I pulled out of law school in March to start Eathos, Inc. You can read a little bit about what drove that decision here: http://bit.ly/13ZwyxN

2) I tried. I took a defensive driving course in 2010. I tried a few times to connect with the business, to serve there and tell my story for other students. It didn't work out.

Instead, I've been telling everyone I can about it. I constantly urge friends to be safe, and drive safer.

3) I've been in MN since 2011. I take public transportation and ride a bicycle here, and it works just fine. I get around.

I got my license re-instated in 2009. In 2010, I got a ticket for not having the correct insurance, which was a condition of getting my license. It was a mistake of the insurance company, who had assured my family and I that everything was fine. The judge excused me.

Other than that, to the best of my knowledge, my record is clean.

4) Yes. I had dinner with his parents and brother in March, for the first time in 7 years.

All these years, they never blamed me. His older brother encouraged me to feel comfortable with them.

It was something I had to work through myself. They are amazing people. I attribute part of what I've been able to do since the accident to their compassion.

5) Not a daily basis, but yes.

I tell the story often. Almost every time I tell it, I cry.

I miss Rishi a lot. I blamed myself over and over, sitting alone in the cell. I convinced myself I had killed him.

I felt like I deserved nothing in my life. My parents, my time with Rishi, anything I ever enjoyed. As a Sikh, I kept a turban and beard. I felt I didn't even deserve the hair on my head.

That was largely driven by the actions I had taken back then. I had bad grades, acted like a spoiled and entitled teenager to my parents (who gave me everything), and made a LOT of bad choices in high school.

Rishi was my polar opposite. 4.0 student, mature beyond his years, and driven to making other peoples' lives better. He was the gem of all our hearts.

Every time I remember him, I try to celebrate his life. I try to live up to his example. If I could be half the man he was, I would be happy. I've got a long way to go.

6) I'm not sure.

I can't control what happened. I can't change the past.

All I can do is recognize my mistakes, try my best to learn and grow, and move forward to serve others.

Logically, I recognize it. Dozens of people from the community, including his family, reminded me that it was not my fault.

Jail broke me down. It crushed and destroyed me.

The only reason I've made it as far as I have is due to the community. Everyone's support is the only reason I could turn my life around.

Sometimes though, I find myself feeling intensely alone.

Every day, I do my best to help others. It's all I can do.

-------------------------------------

Thank you for your questions CJ. I hope it hasn't been too long of a delayed response =)

For anyone reading this, drive slow and drive safe. If not for yourself, do it for the people you care about.

Every day, remember what you're grateful for. I try to write down 5 things I'm grateful for every day. It will change your life to do so.

Shine. Find out what the world needs from you, and dedicate your life to giving it.

Curious about where to start? Make a habit of asking everyone you interact with what you can do to help them. If it's something you can accomplish, do your very best to deliver.

Improve every single day. Take little, tiny steps. Then, take slightly larger steps. You'd be surprised what you're capable of.

 

Thanks for the question landark.

I apologize, I don't remember too well.

I think the other injured driver filed a suit against both mine and Rishi's families. My parents and our attorney took care of it while I focused on turning my life around.

 

Very good to hear from you again, Sukhneet, glad you posted again here in this community, and I am pleased you still appear to be handling this well.

I sincerely wish you well.

Take care.

 

It was the BMW drivers choice to take the risk of street racing. Messed up that the scion driver got charged. Lesson learned don't come back to the scene, was probably a dumb 18 year old. Sad that he is being jailed and another lost their life.

 

"I take no responsibility for your actions. If you saw me jaywalking and decided to do it also, then consequently got flattened because you forgot to look both ways that somehow is my fault? How exactly does that work? How bout' if you saw me climbing the side of a mountain? Its up to the individual to know their limitations. Thinking you can do something just because someone else can is pure ignorance. I've seen guys dropped on mountain peaks from a helicopter and carve that b!tch with an avalanche chasing em. Coolest thing i've ever seen-but i'm not about to try it. Placing blame on this kid because the other one was stupid is plain wrong. Everyone is constantly making choices that effect their lives. It's not my fault if you do something stupid that gets you killed. Might even serve you right depending on the circumstances. I see people do ignorant things all the time. In fact I was trimming trees yesterday. Standing on a ladder cutting off branches that weighed hundreds of pounds above my head-seemed pretty stupid at the time, but it was the only way I knew to get the job done. Definitely could have resulted in an injury.

THIS KID DID NOT COMMIT MURDER. If you think that he did I feel sorry for everyone that has to share the planet with you."

THIS IS THE TRUTH !!! STAY SMART - STAY SAFE !!!