"Thank God it was just the drunks that got hurt"...

[Papa Deuce]

OMW home last night I just missed being in a tremendously nasty looking accident. I swerved and missed it. Then I pulled over, called 911, and then went to check on everybody.

Long story short, the car I avoided, ran into the back of a mini van that was off to the side of the road. The mini van had 4 Amish women in it. Their car was wrecked but they were ok. The other car was wrecked too, and the occupants were hurt seriously, but it didn't appear that it was life threatening. I went to them and the smell of alchohol was incredibly apparent when I approached the car. In fact, I remember the first thing one of the police officers said to the driver was "How much have you had to drink tonight, sir"?

After the police came, and took my statement, all I remember thinking then was "thank God it was just the drunks that got hurt".

Surely I didn't want to see ANYBODY hurt. But how many times do we read about a drunk driver walking away from an accident, and the person she or he hits gets killed?

So, now it is 4 hours after the accident. I'm still awake. I still feel the same way. And I don't really feel bad about thinking that way. I am a little surprised that I'm still thinking about having that thought.

 

[PixieDust32]

OMG! Thank God you are OK! God bless you. How scary.
But you are so right about this

Surely I didn't want to see ANYBODY hurt. But how many times do we read about a drunk driver walking away from an accident, and the person she or he hits get killed?

It makes me so angry when inocent people get hurt or die bcs of idiots like this, drinking and driving.

 

[Dakota_Lynn]

Wow, well first of all, thank god you are ok! That is just terrifying to an extreme to think how close those idiots came to leaving two little girls without a father.

I don't generally wish for anybody to get get injured or hurt, however, I tend to think the same was as you do. If they are going to get into a car and drive while under the influence of a mind altering drug they are putting everybody in danger and they have no right to do that. Do I want them to get hurt? No. But I would MUCH rather see them get hurt or even killed than to see an innocent person get hurt or killed. My daughter will be driving in a few years. Yours will be driving in what, another 12 or 13? Isn't it just terrifying to know that they are going to share the road with people like that? Yeah, I can understand the desire to see the drunk get hurt and not the innocent law abiding people! In fact, maybe it will teach them a lesson. Better they learn the lesson by THEIR bodies feeling pain and not somebody elses. I've been struck by three drivers while on the road. None of them were drinking, but they were driving carelessly. I will pay for the rest of my life for their mistakes. Honestly, I would much rather have seen them run up a tree than what they did to me. I don't think that makes me bad or selfish to feel that way. It was THEM who wasn't paying attention and it is ME who will pay for their need to play with the radio or tend to their children or look at a streetmap while driving. Alcohol is even worse. Nobody should pay with pain, injuries, and/or death because some irresponsible idiot feels the need to party hardy and then drive.

Sorry for the vent. I just feel very strongly about this one. No, PD, you are not wrong for feeling the way you do. Hopefully they will learn a lesson from this mistake. Maybe when they wake up tomorrow and can't move their neck the'll realize how incredibly stupid and moronic it is to drive a car while drinking alcohol! Had it been the other people who got hurt, the only lesson they would have learned was what it is like to pay higher insurance rates. That isn't enough!

Ok, I'm gonna shut up now!

 

[PixieDust32]

A good friend of us die last year because of a drunk driver, he was on his bike and the guy ran him over, him and the bike got stuck under the car, the guy drove a couple of yards like that until the bike caught on fire, we got out of the car and ran then he called his friends on his cell, and told them that he was drunk and hit "something", he was so drunk and didn't realized he killed a person. This guy had no DL, tons of DUI's. My friend was 29, newlywed and had a new home, expecting a baby, and he came to my house that day to show us his Disney Cruise pics, he was killed hours later.
I don't wish anybody any harm, but a drunk driver is a time bomb, and have no respect for them.

 

[LindsayDunn228]

Don't feel bad. I share your opinion. I am a paraplegic because of a drunk driver. He walked away without a scratch. I was 6 years old. He was 40-something.

 

[Papa Deuce]

Don't feel bad. I share your opinion. I am a paraplegic because of a drunk driver. He walked away without a scratch. I was 6 years old. He was 40-something.

I always wondered why, but would never have asked. I'm very sorry to hear that.

 

[Geoff_M]

After the police came, and took my statement, all I remember thinking then was "thank God it was just the drunks that got hurt".

In the late 60's and early 70's my father was a newspaper photographer. Even today as he drives around the county he can recall the location and details of almost every fatal accident he was dispatched to cover for the paper.

One accident that he showed up at entailed a drunk driver that plowed into a station wagon carrying a family. In talking to the police he learned that the family came through with only cuts and scrapes.... but the drunk was killed. I was a small child at the time and personally seeing familes getting hurt, as he periodically did, really emotionally bothered him. However, as he thought about how that accident was the opposite of the usual outcome that he'd seen on more than one occasion, he started laughing.... and laughing out loud. The cops eventually came over and finally had to ask him to leave as he was upsetting the guy's widow that had also shown up at the accident site. My Dad apologized, but added that he just couldn't help it. He said "The 'good guys' actually 'won' this one!" The cops were sympathetic to the irony.

 

[Chicago526]

Don't feel bad. I share your opinion. I am a paraplegic because of a drunk driver. He walked away without a scratch. I was 6 years old. He was 40-something.

1st, I'm so sorry that happened to you!

2nd, I read your signature, I'm one of those 2% of teens (am an adult now!).

3rd, I too would rather see the drunk (or careles) person hurt than an inocent driver or bystander. Nothing wrong with that sentament at all!

 

[holycow]

right at this moment three little children we know are in the hospital in critical condition their grandfather is dead all because of a drunk driver hitting them head on. This all happened on Christmas day. I didn't hear about until yesterday since I haven't turned on the TV. Supposedly this driver has been charged but since he posted bail. He is home.


I am incredibly sad. This family was a lovely family and now their lives are shattered because of someone who had very poor judgement.

One tremendously sad Holycow

PS...I am very glad all was well with you and these ladies.

 

[LindsayDunn228]

Papa and anyone else, please don't hesitate if you want to know about my disability. I am not shy and am not easily offended by questions

 

[KathyFP]

I was hit by a drunk driver when I was 17 (many years ago). Fortunately nothing that serious.

He walked away uninjured and received a $100.00 fine for his third DUI.

 

[Papa Deuce]

Papa and anyone else, please don't hesitate if you want to know about my disability. I am not shy and am not easily offended by questions

I'm a big wuss. I get really uncomfortable when I get around injured or sick people. I had a hard time even going to see my dad in the hospital. He eventually died of a brain tumor. Even last night, as I was walking back to the accident, I was praying that it wouldn't be too bloody, becasue, seriously, I may have passed out.

Point being, I appreciate the offer, and really have wondered, but I have to pass. I am such a wuss!

 

[christineann]

When a drunk driver is injured, I look at it as a self inflicted injury. When a drunk driver injures another person, I believe it is attempted murder and quite simply the result of a choice the driver made to drive drunk.

One of my co-workers has a son who has received his 3rd DUI. She was furious that he had to appear at a roll call at the court because she said it was humiliating for him

 

[Papa Deuce]

When a drunk driver is injured, I look at it as a self inflicted injury. When a drunk driver injures another person, I believe it is attempted murder and quite simply the result of a choice the driver made to drive drunk.

One of my co-workers has a son who has received his 3rd DUI. She was furious that he had to appear at a roll call at the court because she said it was humiliating for him

In a perfect world he would have been in jail for at least a year after the 2nd one, IMO.

 

[mickeyboat]

My father and his wife were seriously injured last January after hitting a drunk driver who was going the wrong way on the interstate. Thank goodness they are alive today, but they will live with pain and scars for the rest of their lives.

The drunk hit three vehicles in total, and walked away without a scratch.

Denae

 

[experiment626mom]

PD, I think the same way. Don't feel bad about it.

I lost my husband of 2 weeks to a drunk driver. I got to the hospital 5 minutes too late.

The man that hit him had numerous DUI's and this was his 3rd DUI accident. They convicted him of vehicular manslaughter and is still serving time. I send him a picture of my 2nd husband on his birthday, holidays and our wedding anniversary. His lawyer once asked me to stop, since he finds "disturbing" I told his lawyer too bad, he needs to be reminded of what he's done.

 

[Shannon G]

Don't feel bad about thinking that way. My FIL was killed in an accident a little over 2 years ago - he was the drunk. I felt bad for his family, having to deal with it, but I did not feel bad FOR HIM. My first reaction when we learned of the accident was Thank God he didn't kill someone else.

 

[Stitchfans]

When a drunk driver is injured, I look at it as a self inflicted injury. When a drunk driver injures another person, I believe it is attempted murder and quite simply the result of a choice the driver made to drive drunk.

I agree with this 100%

Too many innocent people die for other people's selfish stupid actions!

Lindseydunn I am so terribly sorry what happened to you! Don't know what else I can say.

 

[Sparx]

Lindsay, I'm sorry that that happened.
I don't want anyone to get hurt, but I'm glad that the innocent people there didn't.

 

[drgnfly30]

I'm a big wuss. I get really uncomfortable when I get around injured or sick people. I had a hard time even going to see my dad in the hospital. He eventually died of a brain tumor.

Totally off topic but I saw we have something in common.. both our comfort level around injured or sick people & our Dad's dying of brain tumors...