Texas family dies while driving to Disney

[DVCkidsMOM]

There are many lessons here and everyone has their hot buttons. Mine is seat belts. You may disagree. While we all have ideas of what we would do differently given our (incomplete) information about this tragedy, I don't think we should blame anyone since we don't know the whole situation.
I will use the teaching moment opportunities from this tragedy. I hope that this somehow allows the deaths of this tragedy to not be in vain. I know the teaching moments keep safety fresh in our minds. We will soon be driving from TX to WDW with the family, including a 16 year old. Nothing I do will guarantee and accident-free trip, but we do much to minimize risk and set ourselves up for the safest trip possible. Sometimes an accident is just an accident and can happen to anyone, even though we often think it can't happen to us.
No blame - but learning and continued prayers.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

This is a TERRIBLE story. But the parents made TERRIBLE decisions in the time before the crash. Allowing everybody except the driver to be unbuckled? Allowing the young children to ride in JUST a seatbelt? Seatbelts do not fit young children properly, which is why there are laws about restraining them in boosters.

My son was in a booster seat well into elementary school, because he was small. My friend's 5 year old is still in a 5 point harness in her carseat because she is small. A standard lap/shoulder belt is not an appropriate restraint for a 4 year old, but NO restraint at all is hardly a better choice!

TX has "graduated" licensing for new drivers. Once a teen is fully licensed, there are still restrictions until they turn 18. They are not allowed to drive from midnight - 5 AM, they can not have more than one other teen in the car without an adult, they are not allowed to use any sort of cell phone while driving, etc. Before they are allowed to take the test for their license they have to submit a log, signed by a licensed adult, affirming that they have had a certain number of practice hours in different situations (day, night, city, highway) and they are not allowed to try for their license unless they have had the permit for a minimum of 6 months. Those practice hours are a pain in the butt, but they serve an important purpose.

I am sad that the parents put their 16 year old in that position, or allowed him to put himself there. I don't know if they told him to drive, or if he asked. Either way, NOBODY should have been unbuckled.

 

[Gracedis1]

This hits way too close to home. We have made that trip every year for many years. We always get a hotel room half way so we don't have to drive at night. I haven't been able to stop thinking about this family since I heard the story yesterday. I feel justified making my kids wear their seatbelt every second of those drives, despite all their complaints. It's just not worth the risk. The drive through Louisiana is long and boring. Praying for the 16 year old!

 

[LSUfan4444]

He would not have had to be speeding. When you 'lose' control of your vehicle you can be charged - that's the law - 'why' doesn't matter. The driver is supposed to be 'in control' of his vehicle at all times. Yes, sad, I know. Actually, I can't imagine letting a 16 year old drive when all are fatigued, especially the parents - guess I'm super cautious. As terrible as this accident was, it actually could have been worse had he hit another vehicle!

http://www.wwltv.com/story/news/local/2014/11/21/16-year-old-son-charged-in-crash-that-killed-his-family/19336765/

The driver, who was not identified, was cited with reckless operation of a vehicle following the 11pm crash on Interstate 20 near Calhoun, Louisiana, state police spokesman Michael Reichardt said.

Previous versions of this story erroneously reported the charge against the driver. The driver was cited with careless operation, a misdemeanor, not reckless operation of a vehicle, which is a felony.

 

[ericstac]

This hits way too close to home. We have made that trip every year for many years. We always get a hotel room half way so we don't have to drive at night. I haven't been able to stop thinking about this family since I heard the story yesterday. I feel justified making my kids wear their seatbelt every second of those drives, despite all their complaints. It's just not worth the risk. The drive through Louisiana is long and boring. Praying for the 16 year old!

we make the same drive a lot and typically it is leaving Houston at 3-4pm and arriving at WDW around 6-7am.. I drive it straight through and while the kids sleep soundly buckled up in the back, the wife and I (and sometimes even our 13 yr old) stay awake and talk about random stuff through the entire trip.

If someone else can't stay awake during the drive then we pull over, it's pretty hard to do when EVERYONE in the car is sleeping and snoring and you are the only one awake and its so dark you can't even keep yourself entertained with the scenery.

If we are all chatting the time flies and we hit WDW before we know it and are ready to hit the park rope drop. This family will definitely be on my mind and probably part of our overnight conversation when we head there in two weeks.

 

[wareagle57]

Unless you have free flights, it's typically WAY cheaper to drive with 3 or more people. Especially when it's a distance you can make in one day. Not to mention those who stay offsite needing a car once they arrive. We're 6 hours further than you & it's still a LOT cheaper for us to drive, even with travel expenses figured in.

If you have certain cars, even going by yourself can be cheaper to drive. I have a prius and even if I only get 40 mpg, on my 1,300 mile round trip drive it will cost me less than 90 dollars. I'd have to live about 3x far enough away for it to approach a plane ticket. Add in just one other person and I don't even think it's possible to live 54 hours away from Disney in the US.

 

[CTDisneyfan816]

One reason I fly. Flying is safer and quicker.

 

[ericstac]

If you have certain cars, even going by yourself can be cheaper to drive. I have a prius and even if I only get 40 mpg, on my 1,300 mile round trip drive it will cost me less than 90 dollars. I'd have to live about 3x far enough away for it to approach a plane ticket. Add in just one other person and I don't even think it's possible to live 54 hours away from Disney in the US.

we drive a big QX56 at 2000 mile trip and it costs about $450.00 to drive compared to 2300.00+ to fly.. you know how many mickey bars and pretzels you can get with that kind of savings

 

[Bellanota]

One reason I fly. Flying is safer and quicker.

Not always that much quicker... i looked into flying... it was going to take us 6 hours to get there at around 800 round trip. it is taking me 10 hours to drive at what i know all be less then 800. I figured if i was spending hundreds of extra dollars to only get there 4 hours sooner... not that much quicker... and that was before you looked at checked bags and a rental car.

 

[Itinkso]

My thoughts are with all the family members. I keep thinking of the mother of the Hardman boys - she lost one son and her former husband, one son is in critical condition, and the third son was the driver. So very sad.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...ash-that-kills-five-in-same-family/?tid=hp_mm

If anyone is interested in the helping the remaining boys, there is a ******** page at the bottom of the article.

Just want to note: if anyone does go to the homepage of the site that can't be linked, there are two fundraisers listed when searched. The one linked by the Washington Post is more detailed

 

[ericstac]

Not always that much quicker... i looked into flying... it was going to take us 6 hours to get there at around 800 round trip. it is taking me 10 hours to drive at what i know all be less then 800. I figured if i was spending hundreds of extra dollars to only get there 4 hours sooner... not that much quicker... and that was before you looked at checked bags and a rental car.

and then add delays as well. the one time we did fly to WDW we spent 4 hours on delay sitting in the airport.. yawn.

I love to drive as well. its a great passtime for me. maps, scenery, etc.. everything about driving really peeks my interests.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

Has anyone blamed the boy? I suppose some might but I think that would be cruel. He has enough to deal with for the rest of his life.

As noted, the 16 year old driver has been charged with careless operation of a vehicle. I'm trying to decide if that counts as "blame." I don't know if I'd call it that - he lost control of a vehicle he was driving and that's the basis of the charge.

Many issues here including the fact that only 2 of the passengers were restrained (and it appears they had an unrestrained 4 year old in the vehicle, which is a violation of law in most if not all states - but then so is not wearing seat belts). I guess the rest of the party were trying to sleep in the back of the car and didn't wear restraints so they could get more comfortable. And putting an inexperienced driver at the wheel when he apparently hadn't had sufficient sleep. It's a real shame that the deaths may have been avoidable.

 

[CTDisneyfan816]

Not always that much quicker... i looked into flying... it was going to take us 6 hours to get there at around 800 round trip. it is taking me 10 hours to drive at what i know all be less then 800. I figured if i was spending hundreds of extra dollars to only get there 4 hours sooner... not that much quicker... and that was before you looked at checked bags and a rental car.

obviously it depends on where you are. Since I am in CT, much quicker to fly than drive 20 plus hours. Even with hour ahead at airport it is still much quicker, and safer. Last time I was part of a group that drove, it took us jus shy of 20 hours and that was with three people. No way I'm driving 20 hours on my own. Though if I could get to Florida in 6 hours I would probably drive myself.

 

[trainingupmy4princes]

We all buckle up. I would never have my family in the car without seat belts on. I'm wondering what the parents were thinking?! 1, no seat belts and 2, letting the 16 year old drive at night. This accident did not have to happen. Pisses me off too.

It is upsetting that the outcome could have been different if different decisions were made. I don't let my 16 YO drive with the little ones in the car on the freeway. I think the first year of driving, they don't have enough experience for all the scenarios while driving let alone at 75 MPH. I also would never go to sleep while my 16 YO is driving as I or DH like to keep an eye on his driving for correction. I got in several accidents when I first went to college that was how I learned about driving on ice and guaging people's speed when turning left into a busy intersection. I would rather have learned these lessons from my parents than while driving on my own.

I also don't understand why in this day there are still people not wearing seatbelts. There are buckle up signs and it has been the law for as long as I can remember driving. Either way preventable or not it is a tragedy. My heart goes out to those children especially the teen as they are going to need some serious therapy.

 

[CTDisneyfan816]

double post

 

[IWannaBuildASnowman]

I also don't understand why in this day there are still people not wearing seatbelts. There are buckle up signs and it has been the law for as long as I can remember driving.

Amen, amen, amen. This outcome could have been so much different. But there are a lot of people who don't wear them because they feel it impinges on their personal freedom. Not saying this was the case here, just that that's been the argument I've heard. Death impinges on your personal freedom too, is my response to that.

 

[cbdw]

A halting reminder of what is most important, May God Bless them all. Squeeze your loved ones tighter today and don't sweat the small stuff. So very heart breaking.

 

[niffer5150]

words fail to describe how horrible i feel for the teen driver. he should NEVER have been in that position. a kid with a freshly minted license falling asleep at the wheel, in the middle of the night, in a car full of asleep people is not an unforeseeable event. this is certainly NOT the kids fault.

i personally don't think it matters how much more expensive it is to fly or stop and get a motel for the night. caskets and plots cost far more than that. i consider safe and realistic traveling part of the costs of the vacation.

 

[EPCOTatNight]

I drive it straight through and while the kids sleep soundly buckled up in the back, the wife and I (and sometimes even our 13 yr old) stay awake and talk about random stuff through the entire trip.

This is the biggest help to me when I'm driving long distances. Just having a conversation gives me soooo much energy. You can have a good nights sleep and still doze off behind the wheel because your brain is basically inactive. Don't ignore the driver. Engage them. Talk about the news, weather, sports, anything.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

This is the biggest help to me when I'm driving long distances. Just having a conversation gives me soooo much energy. You can have a good nights sleep and still doze off behind the wheel because your brain is basically inactive. Don't ignore the driver. Engage them. Talk about the news, weather, sports, anything.

Yep. I drove, once, as the only driver, from PA to AL. We only stopped for food and gas.

14 hours.

But my 15 year old niece was sitting next to me. Chatting the whole way.

It was a breeze.