Drunk Driver crashed into my House

Al's Handlink

Al's Handlink

Project QL Intern
Mar 18, 2004
742
13
18
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Bristol, Connecticut
ABSOULUTLY NO ONE, should Drink and Drive, but seeing as how this is due to underage drinking, and the fact that I know there are some younger members on this board so I wanted to post this on here. This literally happened last night at my front door.

(This is a blog I posted on MySpace last night.)

Drunk Teenage driver
Current mood:
aggravated.gif
aggravated


So for anyone that thinks that they can drive drunk and get away with it. Read this carefully. This happened at my house tonight.

A drunk driver was driving way to fast on my street right in front of my house. Somehow, he lost control and spun the car out and slammed into the right corner of my house. Wrapped it around. Happened about an hour ago. The driver of the car walked away and seems like he is going to be fine. But the passenger wasn't so lucky. The car hit on his door and he died almost instantly. IN MY FRONT YARD.

Let me repeat that. A guy died in my front yard at about 12:10 this morning because some kid decided that he was going to drive drunk. I took video and pictures of the car and it is messed up like you wouldn't believe.

You better believe that my students will be hearing about this tomorrow.
Please. If you're drunk, Please don't drive. I'm sure everyone of you have a friend or family member you can call to drive you home. If this guy had just picked up a phone, his buddy would still be alive and his body would not be in my front yard as we speak.

(I just posted this one there a few minuets ago)

Apperently the driver of the car that crashed into my house last night was only 18. He was speeding down my street and somehow lost control. He slammed into my house passenger side first, killing the 17 year old passenger.

I'm sure the accident was reported in the Bristol Press, but WFSB Channel 3 has been following the story all day. You can read about it and see a video of the news report here http://www.wfsb.com/news/13790255/detail.html

I am trying to turn this into something positive. I recorded the news story this morning and showed it to the kids that came in for class at the driving school. Then, to really drive the point home I showed them the cars tail light which I brought to work and told them that the reason I was able to get it is because it was my house that got hit.

Then tonight, I found out that the kid that died outside my front door had a brother that died in similar circumstances about 7 months ago.

I don't know yet if the car crash that killed his brother was alcohol related, but the one last night definatly was.

The driver was outside the car crying. Saying, "Oh my god. My car is f***ing trashed. How's he, He's f***ing dead! Isn't he!" (Please excuse the language, but I am trying to quote.)

He was freaking out, and for good reason. This kid is PROBABLY. going to have to be charged with Vehicular Manslaughter, DUI, Underage Drinking, Wreckless Driving, Wreckless endanerment, Risk of injury to a Minor, (Due to the kids in the house)

His buddy might be the lucky one.

This is the kind of thing that happens when you drive drunk. It really truely is like playing Russian Roulette. That chamber might be empty once, twice, ten, twenty times, whatever. But all it take is a full chamber one time, and your life is over, be it literally or figuritivly.

And lets not forget that the passenger of the car, the one who died, got into that car knowing his buddy had been drinking.

Two bad decisions, and it cost them both their lives. One is dead, and the other probably wishes he was. He is going to have to live with it for the rest of his life. All it would have taken to avoid it was a phonecall. If they had just simply made a phoncall for a ride home, they would both still have lives.
 
Tom, I just read your post and watched the news article, I'm just speechless (and crying), how traumatic for you and all involved. Good for you for taking what you can from this to make a positive.
 
Sending a prayer your way, brother

Man, that's horrible news. Death literally came knocking at your door.

I feel your pain... we had a similiar idiot (not a teen) who did the same thing near my hometown in 1988. The bozo was toast, and drove the wrong way on an interstate. I think the idiot is out now, but it just saddens me to think of what he stole from so many people.

Thoughts and prayers are with you, brother.

CHRIS
 
Tom, this is awful (not a strong enough word, but I'm drawing a blank here). In my line of work, I see this too often. There is absoutely no excuse for drunken driving, period.

If you can save just one person with the message you are driving home in your blog, and with your students, the ripple effect will take place. Many more lives can be saved, if people just use their God-given sense!
 
When I first read this post, I immediatly thought of an episode of Australian Story I watched one night which will and has impacted me forever, since I watched this episode I will never drink even one drink if I know I'm going to drive OR even drive the next day if I had a few drinks the night before. Here is the link if anyone wants to have a quick look at it, http://www.abc.net.au/austory/specials/collisioncourse/default.htm It was tragic and compelling at the same time, Its exactly the same scenario as Tom said "One is dead, and the other probably wishes he was"
 
My god that's terrible, the fact that they were drink driving just makes it even more tragic but it does go to show just what drinking can do to people. I feel for the victim's families but I sincerely hope that the guy responsible gets what he deserves.

Hope you're feeling Ok.
 
Oh, this is so horrible. I just deleted a bunch of stuff I wrote that would make everyone feel worse, and there's no point in that. It's a tragedy that everyone should learn from. Protect yourself too--watch out when drivers are reckless or behaving strangely on the road and just get away from them. We get a lot of drunken drivers around here and I've learned to spot them.
 
Thank God you and yours are safe, Tom!
What a terrible thing to have happened.

My prayers are with your family, and the families of those two boys.

Another way to spread the message is the poem "Death of an Innocent" which I found profoundly moving the first time I read it, and which still moves me to tears every time I re-read it.

Please direct all your friends, family, and vulnerable youngsters (or those old enough but not smart enough to know better) to this site;
http://www.charityguide.org/volunteer/fifteen/death-of-an-innocent.htm
and read the poem.
Do the things it suggests at the bottom of the page.
Even one person shocked or shamed into thinking twice is a person (or more) saved from a tragic and unneccessary death.
 
Thanks everyone for your well wishesfor me and my family, and more importaintly the family of the kid that was killed. This is the second son that family has lost in just 7 months. I can't even imagine what they must be going through.

I came home tonight and there were a bunch of teenagers there leaving flowers on the grass and writing messages in chalk on my driveway. It's Sad.

And I know it might sound a little callus, because I know when it boils down to it, he made a mistake, but I hope the driver goes away for a long time. Look at all the lives that have been effected by this. All because he decided to get behind the wheel drunk. A message has to be sent. And it's sad to say, but sometimes, this is exactly what it takes to get through to people that yes it can happen to them.

My biggest hope is that I can use this to dissuade kids from drinking and driving. If I can get through to just one of them, everything I do in that driving school car and class will all be worth it.
 
Sorry to hear about this, Tom. Definitely an unbelievable chain of events for the family of the teenager who was killed. It's very bizarre to me how the drunk drivers always seem to live, and not only live, but usually survive without injury. My thoughts and best wishes go out to all involved.
 
QL Nut said:
It's very bizarre to me how the drunk drivers always seem to live, and not only live, but usually survive without injury.
Click to expand...
There is a fairly simple medical explanation for this. I can PM you if you like, so as not to get the thread off topic.
 
Al The Observer said:
There is a fairly simple medical explanation for this. I can PM you if you like, so as not to get the thread off topic.
Click to expand...
Me too please ATO!:D
I think I have an idea what it is, but I'd like the 'official' version.
 
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