DUI and Death on Harrison

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So sad for W-L. They had another student killed by a drunk McLean HS teen not far from this accident just 2 years ago.

And nothing happened to that kid. He was under 18. This is a totally different situation.

Uh no it is not a “totally” different situation. These young men are 6 months apart in age, who chose to DUI and killed another kid.

Totally different in that that 17 year old wasn’t charged as an adult and didn’t get jail time for driving 100 mph while high and drunk. This kid is 18 and charged as an adult and will probably be sitting in jail for a while.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Shame on parents? Do you think children are robots who always follow the rules? I ou think kids are a reflection of their parents at all times? This kid made a terrible, deadly mistake. You have no idea about his parents or what they have taught him.

Just as a point of fact. The 18 year old was likely driving his parents car around at 2am. Unless he owned his own vehicle. So at a minimum we know they allowed that. Which on its face is not a great plan.

Good point. The families will probably sue the pants off the bare family.

Bare is an adult and can be sued but he may not have anything to his name. I doubt the parents can be.

So you think this kid has his own car insurance?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is a term called “vicarious liability,” which means as a parent and vehicle owner, you may not be free from liability.

Not sure how it would apply in this situation.

Vicarious liability applies when you control the actions of another. It applies to a minor child, an employee and some other situations. But absent a certain type of relationship, it doesn’t apply to other adults.

That being said, parents could be negligent in their own right if they owned the car and let him use it knowing that he intended to drink and drive or negligently ignored the fact that he does drink and drive. A negligent entrustment type of issue.

The issue for insurance is who pays for the defense from a lawsuit and how much.

It’s going to be really tough to find a way to hold the parents responsible. But the only likely source for criminal defense funds are the parents so they likely are going to be spending a lot of money.

As parents of a child with mental health issues, we have had to face the issue of restricting use of our vehicles and hiding and locking car keys. It’s a painful realization and a really life changing decision - of course better than an accident. As parents, we all have this duty when our children give us reason. However none of us know the history here. I am sure the driver’s parents are devastated too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think people get so angry at the parents because this is so horrible and they feel like they need to blame someone, and if they think the other parents are bad parents then they feel safe that it won’t ever happen to their own kids, because they feel confident that they themselves are good parents.

I think this is accurate in some ways, but there is also more to it.

There are parents who enable underage drinking. Some in unbelievably huge ways and some in a lot of smaller ways. They know their kids are doing it. I know them in my real life. They reveal themselves on this site all the time. The "they need to practice before they go to college" logic. The "they're all doing it so they might as well be safe" logic. The "well at least my kid talks to me" logic.

No one is bad or good, but if this doesn't give people some pause about how they're thinking about things, well they're not very thoughtful people. It's given me a lot to think about.

[Anonymous]

I was so sorry to see this.

It is a tragedy for all involved.

For our kids, its so important not to be a drunk driver. But also when I was in college I had so many occasions of stopping a friend from driving drunk and it was so hard.

Can't take back the past with the life lost here.

But important for each kid to know.

Other kids may have drove this drunk and were just luckier no one got killed or injured.

If the drivers parents are who I think they may be, I have met one parent and my heart breaks for them too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think people get so angry at the parents because this is so horrible and they feel like they need to blame someone, and if they think the other parents are bad parents then they feel safe that it won’t ever happen to their own kids, because they feel confident that they themselves are good parents.

+1

[Anonymous]

What about the house these kids were at drinking and where they got all this booze.

Hope those adults are crapping their pants somewhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about the house these kids were at drinking and where they got all this booze.

Hope those adults are crapping their pants somewhere.

Yep.

But they could fake IDs. Driver was at Ole Miss huge party school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about the house these kids were at drinking and where they got all this booze.

Hope those adults are crapping their pants somewhere.

Yep.

But they could fake IDs. Driver was at Ole Miss huge party school.

Was just talking to a friend the other day who has a freshman. They said all of the kids have fake ID's from china that look so real and even scan.

[Anonymous]

Please remember that these boys were good friends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about the house these kids were at drinking and where they got all this booze.

Hope those adults are crapping their pants somewhere.

Yep.

But they could fake IDs. Driver was at Ole Miss huge party school.

Was just talking to a friend the other day who has a freshman. They said all of the kids have fake ID's from china that look so real and even scan.

Yes, they come in the mail in a shoe box disguised as sneakers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about the house these kids were at drinking and where they got all this booze.

Hope those adults are crapping their pants somewhere.

Yep.

But they could fake IDs. Driver was at Ole Miss huge party school.

Someone still sold alcohol to a minor with a fake ID. There are ways to tell it’s fake and there are known establishments who sell to kids who don’t pass the laugh test they are 21.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Please remember that these boys were good friends.

With these stories I think more about the kid in jail who has to live with it the rest of his life and the parents who have to face regrets they may have and the fallout.

[Anonymous]

The driver and other passengers all walked away with minor injuries. The story should include information about who was belted or not, because seatbelts do save lives and young people too often overlook them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about the house these kids were at drinking and where they got all this booze.

Hope those adults are crapping their pants somewhere.

Yep.

But they could fake IDs. Driver was at Ole Miss huge party school.

Someone still sold alcohol to a minor with a fake ID. There are ways to tell it’s fake and there are known establishments who sell to kids who don’t pass the laugh test they are 21.

I just think you and all parents should understand that people who sell alcohol these days are only required to scan the license and if it goes through as legit, they aren’t required to question. This isn’t the old days where IDs were printed off computers and you can spot a fake a mile away.