In My Area: Terrible Injustice: Drunk Driver Kills Girl, Leaves Scene: "Not Guilty"

[walleye]

My community is up in arms about this crazy verdict:

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[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Gene83]

If the parents file a wrongful death lawsuit, the doctor's not out of the woods yet.

[walleye]

If the parents file a wrongful death lawsuit, the doctor's not out of the woods yet.

Yes, they have filed their own suit - and this guy can PAY - so maybe it'll turn out like the OJ case. But these poor parents are even more grief-stricken now; put yourself in their place: their daughter is killed by a drunk driver who leaves her there dead, never stops, a DOCTOR, and the court says it OK. When he SAYS he realized he'd hit a person, at home when he looked at his car and saw flesh and blood all over the front, hit a person who could have been lying out there then in a field dying (if he hadn't killed her already): he doesn't call 911 to summon help, he calls his LAWYER.

You can see why we are all very upset.

[Gene83]

Yes, they have filed their own suit - and this guy can PAY - so maybe it'll turn out like the OJ case. But these poor parents are even more grief-stricken now; put yourself in their place: their daughter is killed by a drunk driver who leaves her there dead, never stops, a DOCTOR, and the court says it OK. When he SAYS he realized he'd hit a person, at home when he looked at his car and saw flesh and blood all over the front, hit a person who could have been lying out there then in a field dying (if he hadn't killed her already): he doesn't call 911 to summon help, he calls his LAWYER.

You can see why we are all very upset.

I can see why you are very upset. We've had jury verdicts in my area that went against the court of public opinion. Justice isn't fair in this country. People with the money for good attornies usually get "better justice" than those without money. Given that the prosecution failed to prove its case in criminal court, that leaves a civil suit as the recourse.

[Yoda]

I think when public opinion disagrees with a jury finding it is because their information has only come from the media. If when a juror, given the jurors information and following the charge from the court finds someone not guilty it is because the prosecutor has not proved the case beyond a reasonable doubt.

Justice is much more important to protect the innocent than to convict the guilty, that is the reason for the burden of proof being so high.

[walleye]

I can see why you are very upset. We've had jury verdicts in my area that went against the court of public opinion. Justice isn't fair in this country. People with the money for good attornies usually get "better justice" than those without money. Given that the prosecution failed to prove its case in criminal court, that leaves a civil suit as the recourse.

Yes, the Doctor got the absolutely best defensive lawyers in the area - and of course they were just doing their job and must have done it well - but you're right, money buys the rich a ticket out of charges that would stick for anyone else. Makes you wonder, I guess the Truth doesn't make it over money.

[msgt/ret]

I find it very hard to believe he did not know he hit someone unless he was knee walking gutter crawling drunk, even hitting a small bird will make enough noise to know you hit something.

[lyz_grace]

I find it very hard to believe he did not know he hit someone unless he was knee walking gutter crawling drunk, even hitting a small bird will make enough noise to know you hit something.

That was my thought... he said he thought he hit a deer?? Part of me at first understood the jury because he said he didn't know he hit a person and it was dark out... but... his blood levels read as intoxicated FIVE HOURS after he drove home!! If I were to black out on illicit drugs and kill someone, I wouldn't get off because I didn't know I commited the crime, I would be served justice because the FACT that I didn't know was my own fault.

[walleye]

I find it very hard to believe he did not know he hit someone unless he was knee walking gutter crawling drunk, even hitting a small bird will make enough noise to know you hit something.

The jury believed the defense story: that that top make of BMW is so insulated from the environment he did not feel anything but a bump or hear anything. Yet witnesses heard a loud crash 50' away from the scene and saw the girl get hit and her body fly away. It is crazy to think you can hit a 115 lb object (the girl), going 40 or 50 mph in your car, with the hood of the car crumpling 8" in on impact, the girl thrown so hard her head was only held on by the skin of her neck when she was found in a field away even from the road, and not be aware of a serious collision with a person. (The girl was visible to other drivers far behind the Doctor's BMW.) The jury blamed the car, not the Doctor or the intoxication. If that car was so immune to even major collisions it would have regular records of far less severe bumps and minor collisions, parking lots etc., and it's drivers merrily driving away oblivious to what just happened. There are no such records - because it's not true or remotely logical.

Another fact - though not one allowed in court so the jury was unaware of it - was this was the Doctor's SECOND DUI. He was returning form his country club after staying for hours. 5 hours later when he finally turned himself because his lawyer advised it: one witness to the surrender stated he smelled of booze from 6 feet away and was glassy eyed - 5 hrs after his last drink. This the jury heard. Yet they believed the defense's attempt to say the alcohol test was wrong - with no real factual evidence it was anything but normal as administered, collected, and tested - which the prosecution had plenty of evidence about.

Suppose now with knowing there was a prior DUI, the jury will realize their conclusion was a mistake about that, but too late.

O, one last fact presented by the prosecution in court, he was texting up to one minute before he hit the girl - and afterwards erased all records of the text messages from his phone. Yet the doctor was put on the stand, and the jury belived his words that he was a nice guy who knew nothing.

[JoJoGunn]

A tragic incident in all ways, lives are ruined. Sad.

When I was 13, a drunk driver hit one of my classmates who was walking down a darkend road. Hit him so hard, that it knocked him out of his tennis shoes. They found the kids' body over 15 feet away from the point of impact. The drunk kept right on going, ended up at a local bar where the police found him from witness ID. He was so intoxicated, he had no idea he was even in a car or hit anything. He was eventually found guilty of manslaughter. It happend just before Christmas of that year and I still remember how it affected us.

My Uncle was hit by a drunk driver outside of Richwood, WV on WV St. Rte 55. It was this guys THIRD drunk driving offence. He was the son of someone prominent in Nicholas Co. WV and was hustled off the secene by police and my uncle was thought to have been killed and he was laying on a stretcher on a fire truck until someone saw him breathing and he was air lifted to a Charleston WV hospital. He survived but it changed every aspect of life. The drunk never saw a day in jail. He actually was given the go ahead to sue my Uncle and his wife, who was driving the car. Why? It was because the drunk was in the wrong lane approaching at a high rate of speed. My Uncle's wife swerved into "his" lane to avoid a head on collision. The drunk, suddenly realizing he was in the wrong lane swerved back into his lane and drilled them head on. They "claimed" my Uncle was at fault becuase of being in the improper lane. The father of this drunk kept getting him out of trouble each time he drove drunk so he was complicit in the accident, but nothing was ever done to this family. Probably the boy is still driving drunk with no license.

So yes, it can look like those who may be prominent do get better treatment in court, but who knows.

[WHEC724]

There was an idiot that I knew in college, who killed a girl while driving drunk. To celebrate winning their case, Mommy and Daddy bought him a new red Porsche to replace the old one that he wrecked while killing the girl.

He was right back in the bars, drinking and driving. Nobody ever talked to the . As I recall, he was a political science major, aspiring to be a politician like his daddy.

The rich can quite often buy there way out of trouble. One attribute of wealth is power. It is what it is.

[NCMedic8617]

This is similar to a event that happened in my area, doctor was plastered, got cut off at two different bars, left out all pissed off, hit and killed a girl who was a promising ballerina, he ended up with like 18 months, some guy who was selling bread as gluten free ended up in jail for 2 years...

Sent from this... Using that...

[Gene83]

The jury believed the defense story: that that top make of BMW is so insulated from the environment he did not feel anything but a bump or hear anything. Yet witnesses heard a loud crash 50' away from the scene and saw the girl get hit and her body fly away. It is crazy to think you can hit a 115 lb object (the girl), going 40 or 50 mph in your car, with the hood of the car crumpling 8" in on impact, the girl thrown so hard her head was only held on by the skin of her neck when she was found in a field away even from the road, and not be aware of a serious collision with a person. (The girl was visible to other drivers far behind the Doctor's BMW.) The jury blamed the car, not the Doctor or the intoxication. If that car was so immune to even major collisions it would have regular records of far less severe bumps and minor collisions, parking lots etc., and it's drivers merrily driving away oblivious to what just happened. There are no such records - because it's not true or remotely logical.

Another fact - though not one allowed in court so the jury was unaware of it - was this was the Doctor's SECOND DUI. He was returning form his country club after staying for hours. 5 hours later when he finally turned himself because his lawyer advised it: one witness to the surrender stated he smelled of booze from 6 feet away and was glassy eyed - 5 hrs after his last drink. This the jury heard. Yet they believed the defense's attempt to say the alcohol test was wrong - with no real factual evidence it was anything but normal as administered, collected, and tested - which the prosecution had plenty of evidence about.

Suppose now with knowing there was a prior DUI, the jury will realize their conclusion was a mistake about that, but too late.

Interesting about the second DUI arrest. This story is developing where I live. Notice the similarities. Hit and run. Drinking. Called his attorney (or his parents called for him). Previous DUI. It'll be interesting to see how this one turns out.

Man accused in fatal hit-and-run had previous DUI arrest » Knoxville News Sentinel

Back to the good doctor. Anybody that drunk has a serious problem with alcohol. Wonder how often he was drunk on the job?

[lyz_grace]

Interesting about the second DUI arrest. This story is developing where I live. Notice the similarities. Hit and run. Drinking. Called his attorney (or his parents called for him). Previous DUI. It'll be interesting to see how this one turns out.

Man accused in fatal hit-and-run had previous DUI arrest » Knoxville News Sentinel

Back to the good doctor. Anybody that drunk has a serious problem with alcohol. Wonder how often he was drunk on the job?

*shudder*

[Spirit51]

Looks like this rich slob got the best defense his money could buy. I don't care how good a doctor he is...I wouldn't let him treat my dog. Someone with a absence of honor and responsibility treating my family??? If he is like that in his personal life....he will be that way in his professional life. Encourage ALL in the community to avoid him like the plague.

I am serious Walleye. Start a campaign against this man. Newspapers.....protests.....make sure the public doesn't forget what this scum did.