Your thoughts: DUI drugs/alcohol, bad wreck...consequences

[Kathie in Thorp]

A bit of a dicussion going on here locally. Bad wreck yesterday morning up on Snoqualmie Pass, with roads in pretty good shape and no travel restrictions in place. Actually 2 wrecks, one with 8 vehicles including 2 big rigs; and a second close by with a couple passenger vehicles -- forget about the second one; that just tied up resources. First wreck killed 2 people and sent 5 to the hospital. State Police quickly put the driver of a commercial car hauler (empty trailer) in custody for vehicular homocide & DUI/drugs. Most jurisdictions long ago threw away DUI as an "impaired" defense: driver screwed up DUI, driver didn't mean to kill anyone, but his/her actions nonetheless resulted in dead and injured people. I'm just fine with that, as the consquences of actions knowingly taken. And maybe the driver was on a Rx drug, but still . . . ya don't drive under the influence.

 

[True Grit Farms]

Murder in the first degree. IMO This is one of those incidents when saying, I'm sorry doesn't cut it.

 

[dun]

Maybe he can claim "affluenza" too rich to know right from wrong like that kid in texas

 

[fenceman]

Murder in the first degree. IMO This is one of those incidents when saying, I'm sorry doesn't cut it.

Agreed, zero tolerance on anyone who drives impaired. My family is uses those roads.

 

[Kathie in Thorp]

Have had this l-o-n-g discussion with a local FB friend about this tonight -- I think he fell off his rope horse and hit his head or something! M5 and 3-Way and Jo would be able to see it.

 

[Son of Butch]

Murder in the first degree. IMO This is one of those incidents when saying, I'm sorry doesn't cut it.

Agreed, zero tolerance on anyone who drives impaired. My family is uses those roads.

I strongly Disagree. 1st degree murder is lying in wait with intent and should result in capital punishment.
But I agree it's a crime, however murder in the the first degree is a total over reaction and cooler heads should prevail.

 

[Luca Brasi]

Murder in the first degree. IMO This is one of those incidents when saying, I'm sorry doesn't cut it.

Agreed, zero tolerance on anyone who drives impaired. My family is uses those roads.

I strongly Disagree. 1st degree murder is lying in wait with intent and should result in capital punishment.
But I agree it's a crime, however murder in the the first degree is a total over reaction and cooler heads should prevail.

I agree, but when it comes to my family, we're talking semantics. If he lies in wait with intent, or kills them behind the wheel, I'll still want the same punishment, since the result is still the same.

 

[True Grit Farms]

Murder in the first degree. IMO This is one of those incidents when saying, I'm sorry doesn't cut it.

Agreed, zero tolerance on anyone who drives impaired. My family is uses those roads.

I strongly Disagree. 1st degree murder is lying in wait with intent and should result in capital punishment.
But I agree it's a crime, however murder in the the first degree is a total over reaction and cooler heads should prevail.

Even if it was YOUR two kids that got killed, just because someone was driving under the influence?

 

[fenceman]

Murder in the first degree. IMO This is one of those incidents when saying, I'm sorry doesn't cut it.

Agreed, zero tolerance on anyone who drives impaired. My family is uses those roads.

I strongly Disagree. 1st degree murder is lying in wait with intent and should result in capital punishment.
But I agree it's a crime, however murder in the the first degree is a total over reaction and cooler heads should prevail.

I see your point, and I'm definitely not for law enforcement bending laws to over charge someone ( the Hammond s).
I do believe Dwi laws are still to light.
Speeding , reckless driving etc. Way to light.

 

[Craig Miller]

I agree. I think that dui should carry a murder first sentence. He knowingly got behind the wheel impaired.

 

[dun]

I agree. I think that dui should carry a murder first sentence. He knowingly got behind the wheel impaired.

This is one of those toughies for me. If he was drunk, was he really aware of how impaired he was? Being a recovered alcoholic (dry for 43 years now), I can see being charged with something more serious then just DUI, but murder is a bit extreme. But, DUI should carry something more then just a suspended sentence. The one time I was busted for DUI I spent 6 months in the VA prison farm. That was back in the time when people were considered to be responsible for their actions, unlike now when it's never their fault.

 

[Alan]

I agree, when someone has a few drinks his/her judgement is impaired and has no business behind a wheel. But I don't think many drunk drivers get behind the wheel intending to kill someone. But should a professional driver, cdl license, be held to a different standard? All should carry harsh penalties but not murder. Just to throw a wrench in the works, the ever saving defense, "I'm sick! I have a disease."

 

[True Grit Farms]

I can't believe how some people feel about DUI. If a drunk kills one of mine, their dead as soon as I catch up with them. I can't imagine loosing one of my kids to a drunk driver, and then seeing them out walking around. A drunk is no different than a murder or rapist, their all sick. IMO

 

[Alan]

I'm looking at it from what I consider a legal stand point, not a personal point of view..... Of course I would hate to have anyone I know killed in any way including a drunk driver. I don't think the average drunk driver gets behind the wheel with the intent of killing someone. We're as a drunk person rapes someone their intent is to rape. Please don't confuse my stance on wether a drunk driver that kills someone is a murder or not with a defense for drunk drivers.

 

[Craig Miller]

My real problem with it is their lack of concern about whether or not they are capable of safely driving.

 

[suzorse]

I feel that any DUI/DWI should have a mandatory prison sentence , and then maybe they would think twice about driving impaired , I have seen where someone had 3 to 5 DUIs and were still driving
and caused a serious wreck injuring other people , (luckily no one was killed ) at that time , but they still did not serve jail time , and I also know of someone different county that served 8 years for manslaughter because they were drunk and the passenger in the car died ,
Suzanne

 

[I luv herfrds]

The only DUI crash I was on this summer the driver killed himself but luckily no one else. Now his friends have to live with themselves for letting him leave the bar after drinking that night.

Every person is responsible for their own actions and choices. They even warn a person to know how their meds are going to affect them before driving. That driver made a fatal choice that resulted in lives lost. Now he will have to live with it.
Some prison time sitting by himself with walls covered with photos of the people he killed might get him to think or just drive him mad.

 

[D2Cat]

I'm reading this thread and I'm thinking.....Most of the folks here are pretty conservative people who work hard and feel each one should be responsible for their actions.

When we look at all the laws that apply to our society and the variations of enforcement, like in DWI, we want to incarcerate every violator. We don't have the room, courts, or the resources!

The only reasonable solution is to empty the prisons and move our families in there. It's the only save place left. We're outnumbered 1000 to one!!

 

[Kathie in Thorp]

Just to clarify, the big rig driver was not arrested for "murder." He was arrested for "vehicular homicide" and "DUI/drugs." The King County Prosecutor will decide how the man will actually be charged. Vehicular homicide, in this state, doesn't have a component of "intent."

 

[True Grit Farms]

I'm reading this thread and I'm thinking.....Most of the folks here are pretty conservative people who work hard and feel each one should be responsible for their actions.

When we look at all the laws that apply to our society and the variations of enforcement, like in DWI, we want to incarcerate every violator. We don't have the room, courts, or the resources!

The only reasonable solution is to empty the prisons and move our families in there. It's the only save place left. We're outnumbered 1000 to one!!

Or we could just put the folks to sleep that abuse our free society and it's laws. I think we should give every person a chance or two. But after three criminal convictions in our court system, then put them to sleep.