Deadly Crash

[Adras]

This took place yesterday, April 27th, in Traverse City, Michigan (its where I live). Five kids were in a 1995 Mazda street racing another car when the car lost control and smashed into a moving type truck. The truck ended up smashing the passanger side, killing three of the kids immediatly, and leaving two wounded. The driver is still in the hospital, and the other survivor was released today. I knew one of the ones who died, and the other two went to my school, where many more people knew them. This morning in the cafeteria held a large group of kids mourning for the lost ones, and many tears were shed.

This is all the other info I know:

The driver did not have a licence. He had alcohol in his blood stream (remember for all you non-USA people, the drinking age here is 21 and the driver was 17), therefore facing neglatory homicide for killing three other teens. Thats three BIG strikes against him and he is possibly looking at 15 years in jail. There goes his life. Imprisoned before he was out of high school. If you want the full story, you can go to the website for my local paper, The Record Eagle. The first link contains the story from this morning in the paper, and the second link (there is a link from the first story as well) contains the mid-day update when the hospital released their names. It was very hard on all of us, including the teachers, to see three of our classmates gone in just an instant. The only one I knew I have known for about nine years now (haven't talked to him much in that time) and he was very much liked among others. The first link shows pictures of the car and the truck that hit the car. The first article also tells how it happened much better than I could.

 

http://record-eagle.com/2006/apr/28accident.htm

 

http://www.record-eagle.com/2006/apr/28accident2.htm

[Povuholo]

I don't know what to say... That's terrible. I hope the two others are okay, both with body and mind.. Things like this can make people get in a shock. They could be afraid to go on the streets again, because of that one accident... I hope they get over it, i wish you and all the others good luck. :closedeyes:

[Switch]

Nasty. Sorry to hear that Adras. :/ Wish you and your classmates all the best in getting through this.

[Adras]

Well, it was pretty hard, but it is going to take some time. It will never fully pass. There are reports that the driver remembers nothing. That is just horrible because he doesnt know that he killed three of his friends and wouldnt know why he is being sentenced to jail for possibly 15 years. Can you imagine? But I'm sure someone has told him by now. For now though, we just have to hope things are ok, as Povuholo said, mentally and physically.

 

Update: I just read on the website of our local paper that memorial services are being held today at 3 pm. Unfortunatly I will probably not go, just because I did not know any of them well enough to feel comfortable, but I am going to call my friend once he gets up to tell him. He knew one of the kids since before preschool.

[VaanicOne]

You and your school has my full Sympathies, Adras. It's a lesson to us all.

[Adras]

This is an update of the memorial service that took place at 3 pm today.

 

http://www.record-eagle.com/2006/apr/29survivor.htm

 

Just so everyone knows, Traverse City (my home, and where this all happened) has three high schools. Traverse City High School and Traverse City Central (wherew I go) are the two mentioned. The last one is Traverse City West.

[Peregrine]

Ah yes, yet more proof of why we need much stricter drunk driving laws. If not for the risk of equipment/testing error, I'd say instant death penalty for drunk drivers would be justified. Harsh, but better a dead drunk driver than letting them kill someone else. And I don't think it would take too many examples to get people to stop doing it. I bet you'd see stories like this a lot less often if people knew there was actually a price for their actions.

 

But even if that's not practical, the drunk driving laws in this country are a joke. Back in high school, I remember someone in my class bragging about how many drunk driving arrests they had. They'd been caught multiple times and still had their license. And worst of all, they weren't even saying it as "I screwed up here, I'm lucky I didn't wreck the car and kill myself, and I've learned my lesson", like they felt even slightly guilty about it. It was just brushed aside as a joke, the minor price of going out partying every weekend.

 

Forget neglatory homicide and a 15 year sentence, dropped to "until he turns 21" and his license handed right back to him. This moron should be facing first degree murder charges, and an automatic lifetime ban from ever driving if he manages to leave prison early.

Well, it was pretty hard, but it is going to take some time. It will never fully pass. There are reports that the driver remembers nothing.

 

I wouldn't believe that too seriously. I wouldn't be at all surprised if that's what his lawyer told him to say, in an attempt at getting a lighter sentence.

[Adras]

That could be true, however, it could be a mix of both or that he really doesn't. The human mind will forget stuff when it deems necessary subconciously. I was attacked by a dog when I was about seven years old and the only things I remember from that whole day and the day after was: About 30 seconds of being in the ambulance and trying to look around, about a minute or so inside the cat scan, waking up from getting my stitches (45), the horrible night of not being able to sleep (I only remeber a few times of that. Apparently my parents slept in the room with me most of the night, but I never knew that until over a year later. It just was never mentioned I guess...), and the last thing I remember before going back to school was that I had to be wheeled out in a wheel chair because my mom forgot my shoes and the hospital wouldnt let me walk out without shoes... Thats less than 15 minutes I remember from over a 2 day experience. I think I went back to school the week after.

 

The brain will forget moments like that when it feels that it needs to. When I was bit, I was literally 1/2 on an inch away from instant death. If my dad did not respond when he did, even half a second later, the dog would have reached my jugular vein, therefore I would have bled to death.

 

I believe that the kid did forget some of it, but not as much as he says he forgot. However, I do believe that if he knew everything that had happened, he would be feeling worse because of the guilt. All I can say is that I hope that he values his life because if he didn't, and he knows he is looking at 15 years in jail and a ruined future, then I wouldn't be too surprised if he decided to end it all.