Homicide charges filed in fatal crash - The "All Opinions are Welcome, but Sorry no Instigators" Board

Jay R · Status: Offline

Homicide charges filed in fatal crash

karen · Status: Offline

What a frigging travesty all around.

I hope others learn from this and think twice.

Lisa Salberg · Status: Offline

I for one am glad to see that charges were filed. I only hope that their will be no plea bargin permitted. It would be refreshing to see the guilty party admit the crime and do the time.

Lisa

PS - JR I like your new tag line!

MrBill · Status: Offline

She won't admit to her crime, she will blame it on pressure from her job, her family, maybe even her kids, but she will not take the blame. Her attorney will argue she was impaired by her drinking problem and use that as some type of mental deficiency plea. If her attorney was really smart, he would tell her to plead guilty and throw herself on the mercy of the court system. This way she will spare the children from having to relive this tragic event in court and in the newspapers over and over and over again. Of course when was the last time you saw a defendant such as this step up to the plate and take full responsibility for their actions knowing that jail time is in their future? This one will be watched very closely across the country.

MrBill

Lisa Salberg · Status: Offline

Bill,
I have no real expectation of her doing the right thing - but it sure would be refreshing to see. The facts in this case are open for the world to see and the details of "why" have no value to me. She was drunk, very drunk and 1 woman is dead, 3 children injured and her own child was placed in harms way due to her lack of judgement and basic common sense. End of story - in my opinion a minimum sentence of 20 years is a good start.

Lisa

GadFly · Status: Offline

From today's DR article:

McCarroll, who was driving home from her sister's house in Rockaway Township, injured her legs in the accident and spent about five days in the hospital.

Gilbreth would not allow press interviews with his client, but said that dealing with the accident had been difficult for her.

"It's tough," Gilbreth said. "Very emotional."

Click for Daily Record Article

BR · Status: Offline

Reference my post from a couple of weeks ago "A similar case"

"Homentosky's blood-alcohol level at the time was about .21 percent when he killed a mother of 3 on Rt 10. Homentosky was found guilty at a 1996 trial of aggravated manslaughter, death by auto, and disorderly persons offenses of simple assault and assault by auto. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison, with 15 years of parole ineligibility. According to state records, Homentosky will first be eligible for parole from state prison on Feb. 28, 2010."

Second degree vehicular homicide, I believe - is a lighter sentence which opens the door for more loopholes. I could be wrong though.

karen · Status: Offline

I agree that the penalty should be stiff; but knowing the court system I'm sure it'll be less than the max.

Regardless, it's still so effing sad for everyone involved.

I think many of us have had times where we've wondered if we should drive but figured we were fine, and maybe there but for the grace of God...

Let it be a reminder to all of us--life is too short to take careless chances. It's too easy for a quick trip home to turn into a lifelong tragedy.

-- Edited by karen at 09:09, 2006-09-28

Jay R · Status: Offline

karen wrote:

I think many of us have had times where we've wondered if we should drive but figured we were fine, and maybe there but for the grace of God...

Let it be a reminder to all of us--life is too short to take careless chances. It's too easy for a quick trip home to turn into a lifelong tragedy.

Sorry Karen, I have to disagree with you. Her blood alcohol level was tested at .225 and of course, there was a delay (how long???) between the time of the accident and the measurement of her BAL. Who knows how high it was before and at the time of the accident. I am definitely NOT condoning people who "have a few" at a party (My personal limit is one drink during a meal / party when I am driving later on) and then head home, but clearly, casual drinkers do NOT ever approach .225.

From the DR article -->

...To get to three times the legal limit [.24] a woman of average size would have to consume between 10 to 12 beers or glasses or wine in the span of a couple of hours without eating.

karen · Status: Offline

Don't get me wrong--I think it's a ridiculous amount to drink (then get in the car, pick up your 3 year old and drive)!! And how in the world did the sister allow her to take the baby when she was so obviously drunk!

I'm just saying the whole thing is sad and that many of us have been in a position where we shouldn't have driven and could've been in a similar situation, God forbid. What a waste.