3 killed in crash on River Road

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Wow. No I am a completely disinterested party actually. I've never implied the volt was at fault.

One of those brothers I mentioned was killed as a teenager when a car hit him on a bike. The car was going too fast on a residential street and she was distracted by the kids in her car as she approached an intersection where he was coming out of. The car was driven by a middle aged white Potomac mother (who knew my brother, he was friends with her son). The only person more distraught than us that day was her. Maybe a middle aged white woman is a demographic you can sympathize with more? She'd had tickets before too.

So I'm not a plant, but I am someone who has experienced loss due to shitty driving and someone who knows first hand how every single person involved feels forever changed. And someone that has worked very hard to feel forgiveness. Part of that is realizing that anyone can do a terrible thing in single moment of recklessness. And that it doesn't mean they are a terrible person. And having known a bunch of 20 year old boys intimately as my other brothers grew up I can tell you they are stupid and feel invincible and the culture of Potomac parenting just bolsters this.

The only point I've actually tried to make is that I don't think the driver is the devil. Just that I think he is also one of his own victims. Why is the idea of having empathy for someone so completely disgusting to you?

Np here-
I'm very sorry for your loss, but your empathy is misplaced. The situation you describe is very different then the accident we are talking about. This guy wasn't having a bad moment. He willfully took everyone's lives in his hands with his decisions. That fact he wasn't distracted actually makes it so much worse. He intended to drive that speed on that road.

Completely agree with the NP above. -- Another NP

You know what I don't think either of you (or the super hostile pp from earlier) have the right to tell be where to place my empathy or whether it not it is deserved. It remains in place.

You can not feel the same way and that is fine but my life has put me in a place where I can be devastated for the girl and feel for the driver.

And I don't see a tremendous difference. She was also speeding, and on a residential road. She also deserves empathy. I still don't understand why everyone is so bothered that there could be a person on dcum who thinks that everyone involved is a human being rather than reducing the villain to a cartoon evil villain.

I'm sorry for your loss pp. Was the lady who hit your brother zooming like a bat out of hell going twice the legal speed limit down a residential street (50mph instead of 25mph)? Because if she was that was very dangerous for the conditions and highly negligent on her part. But I can see how a distracted person might temporarily speed up w/o realizing it while going down a hill which is probably more along the lines of what happened in that situation.

115mph down a busy street is wanton disregard for human life, plain and simple. That young man knew he was going fast and he was purposely choosing to go that fast. And it wasn't the first time he had been caught driving recklessly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Wow. No I am a completely disinterested party actually. I've never implied the volt was at fault.

One of those brothers I mentioned was killed as a teenager when a car hit him on a bike. The car was going too fast on a residential street and she was distracted by the kids in her car as she approached an intersection where he was coming out of. The car was driven by a middle aged white Potomac mother (who knew my brother, he was friends with her son). The only person more distraught than us that day was her. Maybe a middle aged white woman is a demographic you can sympathize with more? She'd had tickets before too.

So I'm not a plant, but I am someone who has experienced loss due to shitty driving and someone who knows first hand how every single person involved feels forever changed. And someone that has worked very hard to feel forgiveness. Part of that is realizing that anyone can do a terrible thing in single moment of recklessness. And that it doesn't mean they are a terrible person. And having known a bunch of 20 year old boys intimately as my other brothers grew up I can tell you they are stupid and feel invincible and the culture of Potomac parenting just bolsters this.

The only point I've actually tried to make is that I don't think the driver is the devil. Just that I think he is also one of his own victims. Why is the idea of having empathy for someone so completely disgusting to you?

Np here-
I'm very sorry for your loss, but your empathy is misplaced. The situation you describe is very different then the accident we are talking about. This guy wasn't having a bad moment. He willfully took everyone's lives in his hands with his decisions. That fact he wasn't distracted actually makes it so much worse. He intended to drive that speed on that road.

Completely agree with the NP above. -- Another NP

You know what I don't think either of you (or the super hostile pp from earlier) have the right to tell be where to place my empathy or whether it not it is deserved. It remains in place.

You can not feel the same way and that is fine but my life has put me in a place where I can be devastated for the girl and feel for the driver.

And I don't see a tremendous difference. She was also speeding, and on a residential road. She also deserves empathy. I still don't understand why everyone is so bothered that there could be a person on dcum who thinks that everyone involved is a human being rather than reducing the villain to a cartoon evil villain.

I'm sorry for your loss pp. Was the lady who hit your brother zooming like a bat out of hell going twice the legal speed limit down a residential street (50mph instead of 25mph)? Because if she was that was very dangerous for the conditions and highly negligent on her part. But I can see how a distracted person might temporarily speed up w/o realizing it while going down a hill which is probably more along the lines of what happened in that situation.

115mph down a busy street is wanton disregard for human life, plain and simple. That young man knew he was going fast and he was purposely choosing to go that fast. And it wasn't the first time he had been caught driving recklessly.

It was at the top of a hill actually. So far people have assumed that I am related to the driver, assumed that i don't understand loss, they have assumed that my experience couldn't possibly a ACTUALLY be similar (I'm assuming because the driver is a lot like the typical dcumer and not the 20 year old son of a Turkish immigrant) and assumed they know what happened in the accident.

Please stop. I have no desire to paint that woman as the devil. I only brought it up to explain why I am capable of feeling the way I feel without being related to the driver.

Literally my only point is that he's a person who police say was beside himself at the scene and who has taken responsibility by pleading guilty. All I'm saying is that he's not one dimensionally evil. Why multiple posters feel like they need to prove that my feelings about this are invalid is really behind me. Sometimes dcum really is just a witch trial in disguise.

[Anonymous]

Literally my only point is that he's a person who police say was beside himself at the scene and who has taken responsibility by pleading guilty. All I'm saying is that he's not one dimensionally evil. Why multiple posters feel like they need to prove that my feelings about this are invalid is really behind me. Sometimes dcum really is just a witch trial in disguise.


I am a new poster. The driver may not be the devil but, he needs to be punished to the highest extent of the law. Otherwise, the lives of four people whom he ruined will be in vain. We need him to be an example for other reckless humans. I think 15 to 20 years for taking three people's lives isn't enough but, it is a start.

Don't do the crime; if you can't do the time.

[Anonymous]

Sometimes it doesn't matter that you are sorry. I'm sure you had to work very hard to find forgiveness in the senseless loss of your brother. Helena will have to work hard to find forgiveness for this man. She will have to do that for herself, as you have in order to salvage what is left of her shattered life.
I can totally understand having sympathy for the family friend who killed your brother. She sounds like she could have been any one of us. We all drive too fast at times. We are all ( more than ever) distracted behind the wheel. There but for the grave of God go us all.
This man didn't have a bad day. He wasn't going 10-20 miles over the speed limit. He was going 115 mph on a side street.
What happened was not an accident. Would you have sympathy for a robber who accidentally shot a cashier? They didn't mean to kill anyone, but they brought a gun...

You understand loss, but you aren't understanding that this wasn't an accident. This was the logical conclusion of this mans actions.
You are welcome to your feelings, and people shouldn't be hostile about your feelings.
I'm very sorry you lost your brother.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Wow. No I am a completely disinterested party actually. I've never implied the volt was at fault.

One of those brothers I mentioned was killed as a teenager when a car hit him on a bike. The car was going too fast on a residential street and she was distracted by the kids in her car as she approached an intersection where he was coming out of. The car was driven by a middle aged white Potomac mother (who knew my brother, he was friends with her son). The only person more distraught than us that day was her. Maybe a middle aged white woman is a demographic you can sympathize with more? She'd had tickets before too.

So I'm not a plant, but I am someone who has experienced loss due to shitty driving and someone who knows first hand how every single person involved feels forever changed. And someone that has worked very hard to feel forgiveness. Part of that is realizing that anyone can do a terrible thing in single moment of recklessness. And that it doesn't mean they are a terrible person. And having known a bunch of 20 year old boys intimately as my other brothers grew up I can tell you they are stupid and feel invincible and the culture of Potomac parenting just bolsters this.

The only point I've actually tried to make is that I don't think the driver is the devil. Just that I think he is also one of his own victims. Why is the idea of having empathy for someone so completely disgusting to you?

Np here-
I'm very sorry for your loss, but your empathy is misplaced. The situation you describe is very different then the accident we are talking about. This guy wasn't having a bad moment. He willfully took everyone's lives in his hands with his decisions. That fact he wasn't distracted actually makes it so much worse. He intended to drive that speed on that road.

Completely agree with the NP above. -- Another NP

You know what I don't think either of you (or the super hostile pp from earlier) have the right to tell be where to place my empathy or whether it not it is deserved. It remains in place.

You can not feel the same way and that is fine but my life has put me in a place where I can be devastated for the girl and feel for the driver.

And I don't see a tremendous difference. She was also speeding, and on a residential road. She also deserves empathy. I still don't understand why everyone is so bothered that there could be a person on dcum who thinks that everyone involved is a human being rather than reducing the villain to a cartoon evil villain.

I'm sorry for your loss pp. Was the lady who hit your brother zooming like a bat out of hell going twice the legal speed limit down a residential street (50mph instead of 25mph)? Because if she was that was very dangerous for the conditions and highly negligent on her part. But I can see how a distracted person might temporarily speed up w/o realizing it while going down a hill which is probably more along the lines of what happened in that situation.

115mph down a busy street is wanton disregard for human life, plain and simple. That young man knew he was going fast and he was purposely choosing to go that fast. And it wasn't the first time he had been caught driving recklessly.

It was at the top of a hill actually. So far people have assumed that I am related to the driver, assumed that i don't understand loss, they have assumed that my experience couldn't possibly a ACTUALLY be similar (I'm assuming because the driver is a lot like the typical dcumer and not the 20 year old son of a Turkish immigrant) and assumed they know what happened in the accident.

Please stop. I have no desire to paint that woman as the devil. I only brought it up to explain why I am capable of feeling the way I feel without being related to the driver.

Literally my only point is that he's a person who police say was beside himself at the scene and who has taken responsibility by pleading guilty. All I'm saying is that he's not one dimensionally evil. Why multiple posters feel like they need to prove that my feelings about this are invalid is really behind me. Sometimes dcum really is just a witch trial in disguise.

If a bleached blond soccer mom had be speeding at 115mph in her minivan and slammed into a family - she would be blamed for it. And she would be punished for it. No way would it be o.k. for her or any other person to do that. In fact, if she had her own kids in that minivan and she was speeding like that she would be probably be in even bigger trouble.

This young man killed 3 members of a family in a very reckless way. And he had been caught for speeding before. That is why he is in trouble.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sometimes it doesn't matter that you are sorry. I'm sure you had to work very hard to find forgiveness in the senseless loss of your brother. Helena will have to work hard to find forgiveness for this man. She will have to do that for herself, as you have in order to salvage what is left of her shattered life.
I can totally understand having sympathy for the family friend who killed your brother. She sounds like she could have been any one of us. We all drive too fast at times. We are all ( more than ever) distracted behind the wheel. There but for the grave of God go us all.
This man didn't have a bad day. He wasn't going 10-20 miles over the speed limit. He was going 115 mph on a side street.
What happened was not an accident. Would you have sympathy for a robber who accidentally shot a cashier? They didn't mean to kill anyone, but they brought a gun...

You understand loss, but you aren't understanding that this wasn't an accident. This was the logical conclusion of this mans actions.
You are welcome to your feelings, and people shouldn't be hostile about your feelings.
I'm very sorry you lost your brother.

This is well said. Very true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Wow. No I am a completely disinterested party actually. I've never implied the volt was at fault.

One of those brothers I mentioned was killed as a teenager when a car hit him on a bike. The car was going too fast on a residential street and she was distracted by the kids in her car as she approached an intersection where he was coming out of. The car was driven by a middle aged white Potomac mother (who knew my brother, he was friends with her son). The only person more distraught than us that day was her. Maybe a middle aged white woman is a demographic you can sympathize with more? She'd had tickets before too.

So I'm not a plant, but I am someone who has experienced loss due to shitty driving and someone who knows first hand how every single person involved feels forever changed. And someone that has worked very hard to feel forgiveness. Part of that is realizing that anyone can do a terrible thing in single moment of recklessness. And that it doesn't mean they are a terrible person. And having known a bunch of 20 year old boys intimately as my other brothers grew up I can tell you they are stupid and feel invincible and the culture of Potomac parenting just bolsters this.

The only point I've actually tried to make is that I don't think the driver is the devil. Just that I think he is also one of his own victims. Why is the idea of having empathy for someone so completely disgusting to you?

Np here-
I'm very sorry for your loss, but your empathy is misplaced. The situation you describe is very different then the accident we are talking about. This guy wasn't having a bad moment. He willfully took everyone's lives in his hands with his decisions. That fact he wasn't distracted actually makes it so much worse. He intended to drive that speed on that road.

Completely agree with the NP above. -- Another NP

You know what I don't think either of you (or the super hostile pp from earlier) have the right to tell be where to place my empathy or whether it not it is deserved. It remains in place.

You can not feel the same way and that is fine but my life has put me in a place where I can be devastated for the girl and feel for the driver.

And I don't see a tremendous difference. She was also speeding, and on a residential road. She also deserves empathy. I still don't understand why everyone is so bothered that there could be a person on dcum who thinks that everyone involved is a human being rather than reducing the villain to a cartoon evil villain.

I'm sorry for your loss pp. Was the lady who hit your brother zooming like a bat out of hell going twice the legal speed limit down a residential street (50mph instead of 25mph)? Because if she was that was very dangerous for the conditions and highly negligent on her part. But I can see how a distracted person might temporarily speed up w/o realizing it while going down a hill which is probably more along the lines of what happened in that situation.

115mph down a busy street is wanton disregard for human life, plain and simple. That young man knew he was going fast and he was purposely choosing to go that fast. And it wasn't the first time he had been caught driving recklessly.

It was at the top of a hill actually. So far people have assumed that I am related to the driver, assumed that i don't understand loss, they have assumed that my experience couldn't possibly a ACTUALLY be similar (I'm assuming because the driver is a lot like the typical dcumer and not the 20 year old son of a Turkish immigrant) and assumed they know what happened in the accident.

Please stop. I have no desire to paint that woman as the devil. I only brought it up to explain why I am capable of feeling the way I feel without being related to the driver.

Literally my only point is that he's a person who police say was beside himself at the scene and who has taken responsibility by pleading guilty. All I'm saying is that he's not one dimensionally evil. Why multiple posters feel like they need to prove that my feelings about this are invalid is really behind me. Sometimes dcum really is just a witch trial in disguise.

If a bleached blond soccer mom had be speeding at 115mph in her minivan and slammed into a family - she would be blamed for it. And she would be punished for it. No way would it be o.k. for her or any other person to do that. In fact, if she had her own kids in that minivan and she was speeding like that she would be probably be in even bigger trouble.

This young man killed 3 members of a family in a very reckless way. And he had been caught for speeding before. That is why he is in trouble.

Could you point out where I said he shouldn't be held accountable or punished?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Wow. No I am a completely disinterested party actually. I've never implied the volt was at fault.

One of those brothers I mentioned was killed as a teenager when a car hit him on a bike. The car was going too fast on a residential street and she was distracted by the kids in her car as she approached an intersection where he was coming out of. The car was driven by a middle aged white Potomac mother (who knew my brother, he was friends with her son). The only person more distraught than us that day was her. Maybe a middle aged white woman is a demographic you can sympathize with more? She'd had tickets before too.

So I'm not a plant, but I am someone who has experienced loss due to shitty driving and someone who knows first hand how every single person involved feels forever changed. And someone that has worked very hard to feel forgiveness. Part of that is realizing that anyone can do a terrible thing in single moment of recklessness. And that it doesn't mean they are a terrible person. And having known a bunch of 20 year old boys intimately as my other brothers grew up I can tell you they are stupid and feel invincible and the culture of Potomac parenting just bolsters this.

The only point I've actually tried to make is that I don't think the driver is the devil. Just that I think he is also one of his own victims. Why is the idea of having empathy for someone so completely disgusting to you?

Np here-
I'm very sorry for your loss, but your empathy is misplaced. The situation you describe is very different then the accident we are talking about. This guy wasn't having a bad moment. He willfully took everyone's lives in his hands with his decisions. That fact he wasn't distracted actually makes it so much worse. He intended to drive that speed on that road.

Completely agree with the NP above. -- Another NP

You know what I don't think either of you (or the super hostile pp from earlier) have the right to tell be where to place my empathy or whether it not it is deserved. It remains in place.

You can not feel the same way and that is fine but my life has put me in a place where I can be devastated for the girl and feel for the driver.

And I don't see a tremendous difference. She was also speeding, and on a residential road. She also deserves empathy. I still don't understand why everyone is so bothered that there could be a person on dcum who thinks that everyone involved is a human being rather than reducing the villain to a cartoon evil villain.

I'm sorry for your loss pp. Was the lady who hit your brother zooming like a bat out of hell going twice the legal speed limit down a residential street (50mph instead of 25mph)? Because if she was that was very dangerous for the conditions and highly negligent on her part. But I can see how a distracted person might temporarily speed up w/o realizing it while going down a hill which is probably more along the lines of what happened in that situation.

115mph down a busy street is wanton disregard for human life, plain and simple. That young man knew he was going fast and he was purposely choosing to go that fast. And it wasn't the first time he had been caught driving recklessly.

It was at the top of a hill actually. So far people have assumed that I am related to the driver, assumed that i don't understand loss, they have assumed that my experience couldn't possibly a ACTUALLY be similar (I'm assuming because the driver is a lot like the typical dcumer and not the 20 year old son of a Turkish immigrant) and assumed they know what happened in the accident.

Please stop. I have no desire to paint that woman as the devil. I only brought it up to explain why I am capable of feeling the way I feel without being related to the driver.

Literally my only point is that he's a person who police say was beside himself at the scene and who has taken responsibility by pleading guilty. All I'm saying is that he's not one dimensionally evil. Why multiple posters feel like they need to prove that my feelings about this are invalid is really behind me. Sometimes dcum really is just a witch trial in disguise.

If a bleached blond soccer mom had be speeding at 115mph in her minivan and slammed into a family - she would be blamed for it. And she would be punished for it. No way would it be o.k. for her or any other person to do that. In fact, if she had her own kids in that minivan and she was speeding like that she would be probably be in even bigger trouble.

This young man killed 3 members of a family in a very reckless way. And he had been caught for speeding before. That is why he is in trouble.

Could you point out where I said he shouldn't be held accountable or punished?

You didn't say that but you were giving him credit for taking responsibility for his actions. I don't know that denying his guilt would have been possible given the enormous amount of evidence and I don't think it's surprising at all that he was upset at the scene of that accident because it was truly an horrific scene and I'll bet he was more than a little rattled from such a high speed impact.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Wow. No I am a completely disinterested party actually. I've never implied the volt was at fault.

One of those brothers I mentioned was killed as a teenager when a car hit him on a bike. The car was going too fast on a residential street and she was distracted by the kids in her car as she approached an intersection where he was coming out of. The car was driven by a middle aged white Potomac mother (who knew my brother, he was friends with her son). The only person more distraught than us that day was her. Maybe a middle aged white woman is a demographic you can sympathize with more? She'd had tickets before too.

So I'm not a plant, but I am someone who has experienced loss due to shitty driving and someone who knows first hand how every single person involved feels forever changed. And someone that has worked very hard to feel forgiveness. Part of that is realizing that anyone can do a terrible thing in single moment of recklessness. And that it doesn't mean they are a terrible person. And having known a bunch of 20 year old boys intimately as my other brothers grew up I can tell you they are stupid and feel invincible and the culture of Potomac parenting just bolsters this.

The only point I've actually tried to make is that I don't think the driver is the devil. Just that I think he is also one of his own victims. Why is the idea of having empathy for someone so completely disgusting to you?

Np here-
I'm very sorry for your loss, but your empathy is misplaced. The situation you describe is very different then the accident we are talking about. This guy wasn't having a bad moment. He willfully took everyone's lives in his hands with his decisions. That fact he wasn't distracted actually makes it so much worse. He intended to drive that speed on that road.

Completely agree with the NP above. -- Another NP

You know what I don't think either of you (or the super hostile pp from earlier) have the right to tell be where to place my empathy or whether it not it is deserved. It remains in place.

You can not feel the same way and that is fine but my life has put me in a place where I can be devastated for the girl and feel for the driver.

And I don't see a tremendous difference. She was also speeding, and on a residential road. She also deserves empathy. I still don't understand why everyone is so bothered that there could be a person on dcum who thinks that everyone involved is a human being rather than reducing the villain to a cartoon evil villain.

I'm sorry for your loss pp. Was the lady who hit your brother zooming like a bat out of hell going twice the legal speed limit down a residential street (50mph instead of 25mph)? Because if she was that was very dangerous for the conditions and highly negligent on her part. But I can see how a distracted person might temporarily speed up w/o realizing it while going down a hill which is probably more along the lines of what happened in that situation.

115mph down a busy street is wanton disregard for human life, plain and simple. That young man knew he was going fast and he was purposely choosing to go that fast. And it wasn't the first time he had been caught driving recklessly.

It was at the top of a hill actually. So far people have assumed that I am related to the driver, assumed that i don't understand loss, they have assumed that my experience couldn't possibly a ACTUALLY be similar (I'm assuming because the driver is a lot like the typical dcumer and not the 20 year old son of a Turkish immigrant) and assumed they know what happened in the accident.

Please stop. I have no desire to paint that woman as the devil. I only brought it up to explain why I am capable of feeling the way I feel without being related to the driver.

Literally my only point is that he's a person who police say was beside himself at the scene and who has taken responsibility by pleading guilty. All I'm saying is that he's not one dimensionally evil. Why multiple posters feel like they need to prove that my feelings about this are invalid is really behind me. Sometimes dcum really is just a witch trial in disguise.

If a bleached blond soccer mom had be speeding at 115mph in her minivan and slammed into a family - she would be blamed for it. And she would be punished for it. No way would it be o.k. for her or any other person to do that. In fact, if she had her own kids in that minivan and she was speeding like that she would be probably be in even bigger trouble.

This young man killed 3 members of a family in a very reckless way. And he had been caught for speeding before. That is why he is in trouble.

Could you point out where I said he shouldn't be held accountable or punished?

You didn't say that but you were giving him credit for taking responsibility for his actions. I don't know that denying his guilt would have been possible given the enormous amount of evidence and I don't think it's surprising at all that he was upset at the scene of that accident because it was truly an horrific scene and I'll bet he was more than a little rattled from such a high speed impact.

You have accurately described my position. He did something bad. He feels bad about it. Therefore I think he's not an evil person on par with some type of murderer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Wow. No I am a completely disinterested party actually. I've never implied the volt was at fault.

One of those brothers I mentioned was killed as a teenager when a car hit him on a bike. The car was going too fast on a residential street and she was distracted by the kids in her car as she approached an intersection where he was coming out of. The car was driven by a middle aged white Potomac mother (who knew my brother, he was friends with her son). The only person more distraught than us that day was her. Maybe a middle aged white woman is a demographic you can sympathize with more? She'd had tickets before too.

So I'm not a plant, but I am someone who has experienced loss due to shitty driving and someone who knows first hand how every single person involved feels forever changed. And someone that has worked very hard to feel forgiveness. Part of that is realizing that anyone can do a terrible thing in single moment of recklessness. And that it doesn't mean they are a terrible person. And having known a bunch of 20 year old boys intimately as my other brothers grew up I can tell you they are stupid and feel invincible and the culture of Potomac parenting just bolsters this.

The only point I've actually tried to make is that I don't think the driver is the devil. Just that I think he is also one of his own victims. Why is the idea of having empathy for someone so completely disgusting to you?

Np here-
I'm very sorry for your loss, but your empathy is misplaced. The situation you describe is very different then the accident we are talking about. This guy wasn't having a bad moment. He willfully took everyone's lives in his hands with his decisions. That fact he wasn't distracted actually makes it so much worse. He intended to drive that speed on that road.

Completely agree with the NP above. -- Another NP

You know what I don't think either of you (or the super hostile pp from earlier) have the right to tell be where to place my empathy or whether it not it is deserved. It remains in place.

You can not feel the same way and that is fine but my life has put me in a place where I can be devastated for the girl and feel for the driver.

And I don't see a tremendous difference. She was also speeding, and on a residential road. She also deserves empathy. I still don't understand why everyone is so bothered that there could be a person on dcum who thinks that everyone involved is a human being rather than reducing the villain to a cartoon evil villain.

I'm sorry for your loss pp. Was the lady who hit your brother zooming like a bat out of hell going twice the legal speed limit down a residential street (50mph instead of 25mph)? Because if she was that was very dangerous for the conditions and highly negligent on her part. But I can see how a distracted person might temporarily speed up w/o realizing it while going down a hill which is probably more along the lines of what happened in that situation.

115mph down a busy street is wanton disregard for human life, plain and simple. That young man knew he was going fast and he was purposely choosing to go that fast. And it wasn't the first time he had been caught driving recklessly.

It was at the top of a hill actually. So far people have assumed that I am related to the driver, assumed that i don't understand loss, they have assumed that my experience couldn't possibly a ACTUALLY be similar (I'm assuming because the driver is a lot like the typical dcumer and not the 20 year old son of a Turkish immigrant) and assumed they know what happened in the accident.

Please stop. I have no desire to paint that woman as the devil. I only brought it up to explain why I am capable of feeling the way I feel without being related to the driver.

Literally my only point is that he's a person who police say was beside himself at the scene and who has taken responsibility by pleading guilty. All I'm saying is that he's not one dimensionally evil. Why multiple posters feel like they need to prove that my feelings about this are invalid is really behind me. Sometimes dcum really is just a witch trial in disguise.

If a bleached blond soccer mom had be speeding at 115mph in her minivan and slammed into a family - she would be blamed for it. And she would be punished for it. No way would it be o.k. for her or any other person to do that. In fact, if she had her own kids in that minivan and she was speeding like that she would be probably be in even bigger trouble.

This young man killed 3 members of a family in a very reckless way. And he had been caught for speeding before. That is why he is in trouble.

Could you point out where I said he shouldn't be held accountable or punished?

You didn't say that but you were giving him credit for taking responsibility for his actions. I don't know that denying his guilt would have been possible given the enormous amount of evidence and I don't think it's surprising at all that he was upset at the scene of that accident because it was truly an horrific scene and I'll bet he was more than a little rattled from such a high speed impact.

You have accurately described my position. He did something bad. He feels bad about it. Therefore I think he's not an evil person on par with some type of murderer.

Murderers can feel bad about their crimes. We don't know this guy and it is not surprising that he feels bad about this crash. There is nothing to feel good about in this situation is there?

He destroyed his own car, probably injured himself, killed 3 people, critically injured a teenage girl, he's been arrested and is facing jail time. Why would he not feel bad?

[Anonymous]

What is your problem? I think he did a bad thing and I think he should be punished. I just am not going to say he's a horrible person who doesn't deserve compassion.

I'm not asking any one else to feel like I do, I'm simply expressing how I feel and why.

And, in case this wasn't obvious, I also feel terrible for this girl and all the people who love that family.

I just think it's a tragedy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is your problem? I think he did a bad thing and I think he should be punished. I just am not going to say he's a horrible person who doesn't deserve compassion.

I'm not asking any one else to feel like I do, I'm simply expressing how I feel and why.

And, in case this wasn't obvious, I also feel terrible for this girl and all the people who love that family.

I just think it's a tragedy.

I don't know this guy so I can not comment on whether or not he is a good person. Him feeling bad when his own life as he knew it has pretty much been destroyed is really quite understandable. He has put himself in a very bad situation. But there is a teenage girl whose life will never be the same too. She is the one that my heart goes out to.

[Anonymous]

OAN, there is a nasty pot hole of River Road that bent my rim. Grrr. You can probably avoid during the day but late at night it creeps up on you.

[Anonymous]

I don't anyone thinks he's one-dimensionally evil or some cartoon villain. People are disgusted and outraged and what he did and despise him for it.

[Anonymous]

Anyone planning to be at the courthouse on Monday for sentencing? I talked to someone at the State's Attorney office on National Night Out. He said the best way to get a stronger sentence was to have people there.... it shows the judge that the community is angry.