Justice for Motorcyclist Killed by Drunk Driver
The Issue
On Wednesday, June 10th 2026 at 7:14pm, motorcyclist James “Jim” Dickinson was hit by a vehicular drunk driver in Bishop, CA. Police reports state that the perpetrator rolled a stop sign while Jim maintained the legal speed limit and was in his right-of-way, along with the other motorcyclists riding in his group. Following the collision, Jim was taken to the emergency room at the local Bishop Hospital where he was being treated for his 8 broken ribs, one of which punctured his lung on his left side. Jim also suffered class 4 internal bleeding that he sustained from his spleen and lacerated liver. After receiving 4 units of blood it was decided by doctors that Jim would have to be life-flighted up to Reno, NV to undergo emergency surgery in order to stop the internal bleeding. Jim landed in Reno around 2am Thursday morning, where he continued the fight for his life in agonizing pain for 3 days. On Saturday night, June 13th, Jim’s internal hemorrhaging flooded the hole in his lung and he could no longer breathe. He was declared deceased after 40 minutes of resuscitation without a response.
Three and a half months after Jim’s untimely and unfortunate death, we asked the Inyo County District Attorney’s office for an update on what happened in court that day. It was then that we were informed that Tani Tatum’s original two felony charges are going to be dropped down to one misdemeanor charge with a sentencing of 90 days house arrest and 3 years probation. I asked District Attorney Brad Braaten, “How is this possible that a repeat offender did not receive jail time the night of the accident, and will not receive jail time for killing him?” His response was, “You sound upset but you know, nothing can bring him back.”
Our purpose of this petition is to urge the Inyo County District Attorney’s office to rethink their plea deal decision before the official sentencing, and to hold Tani Tatum accountable for the collision she caused that killed a loving and caring active member of society. With your signature we can show the Inyo County District Attorney’s Office that we will not stand for this lenient sentencing for drunk drivers.
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The Issue
On Wednesday, June 10th 2026 at 7:14pm, motorcyclist James “Jim” Dickinson was hit by a vehicular drunk driver in Bishop, CA. Police reports state that the perpetrator rolled a stop sign while Jim maintained the legal speed limit and was in his right-of-way, along with the other motorcyclists riding in his group. Following the collision, Jim was taken to the emergency room at the local Bishop Hospital where he was being treated for his 8 broken ribs, one of which punctured his lung on his left side. Jim also suffered class 4 internal bleeding that he sustained from his spleen and lacerated liver. After receiving 4 units of blood it was decided by doctors that Jim would have to be life-flighted up to Reno, NV to undergo emergency surgery in order to stop the internal bleeding. Jim landed in Reno around 2am Thursday morning, where he continued the fight for his life in agonizing pain for 3 days. On Saturday night, June 13th, Jim’s internal hemorrhaging flooded the hole in his lung and he could no longer breathe. He was declared deceased after 40 minutes of resuscitation without a response.
Three and a half months after Jim’s untimely and unfortunate death, we asked the Inyo County District Attorney’s office for an update on what happened in court that day. It was then that we were informed that Tani Tatum’s original two felony charges are going to be dropped down to one misdemeanor charge with a sentencing of 90 days house arrest and 3 years probation. I asked District Attorney Brad Braaten, “How is this possible that a repeat offender did not receive jail time the night of the accident, and will not receive jail time for killing him?” His response was, “You sound upset but you know, nothing can bring him back.”
Our purpose of this petition is to urge the Inyo County District Attorney’s office to rethink their plea deal decision before the official sentencing, and to hold Tani Tatum accountable for the collision she caused that killed a loving and caring active member of society. With your signature we can show the Inyo County District Attorney’s Office that we will not stand for this lenient sentencing for drunk drivers.
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Petition created on October 4, 2026