Several weeks ago, my grandfather was driving his motorcycle to Napa Valley at 6 AM to visit his sister. It was a trip he had made countless times. On a two-lane road/highway (the number escapes me at the moment) he was hit head-on by a drunk driver who had veered across the double yellow line into his lane. The drunk driver plowed through my grandfather’s motorcycle and went on to hit a car behind him. The two people in the other car were seriously injured, but my grandfather was killed instantly by the impact. I come to find out during the funeral that not only was the 23 year old man who killed my grandfather drunk, he also had no license, no insurance, and was an illegal immigrant. He was charged with DUI and reckless endangerment, and is out on bail right now.
Frankly I am still apalled, I feel that my grandfather met with an unjust fate and that what happened to him was nothing short of murder in my opinion. The fact that the man who did this is free on bail right now has me very upset and angry. I had heard that my grandmother plans on filing a wrongful death suit, but personally I feel that the DA or whoever should be pursuing stronger charges due to the circumstances. Personally, I feel that getting charged with ‘reckless endangerment’ is not enough.
Most of my family is so grieved about the incident that they really just want to move on. They feel that it was fate that took my grandfather, but I personally strongly disagree with this. I view this as a gross injustice, done by a man who isn’t even supposed to be in this country. Isn’t there anything else/other options that can be done? Unfortunately my family seems strongly bent on moving on but personally I cannot just accept what happened- right now I don’t feel like any justice was served.
For what it’s worth, I personally think ANYONE who accidentally kills ANYONE while operating a vehicle while legally intoxicated should be taken out and shot, period.
Sorry about your loss. My brother was killed this way, too. But the driver was not drunk. Just inattentive. :rolleyes:
Although he may be indigent today, I suppose winning a wrongful death action might tie up the bad guy’s future lottery income, if any. Illegal immigrants have won U. S. lotteries!
I totally understand your anger. I feel a tiny bit of comfort knowing my brother died doing what he liked best: riding his motorcycle.
It looks like the law has failed you and your family utterly. I am disgusted.
This may be stating the obvious, but have you had a look around the MADD web-site? Having looked around it just now, it seems to have a lot of resources that might help you work out what your options are getting the book thrown at the bastard.
I suggest their Victim Information Pamphlet would be a good place to start:
Personally, some sort of manslaughter charge- the man killed my grandfather as a direct result of his own negligenge. It wasn’t out of malice, or planned, I understand, but the fact remiains he shouldn’t have been driving drunk at 6 AM.
However, the truth is, this probably won’t happen. Like I said before, the most of my family has already accepted what has happened to my grandfather, they’ve chalked it up to fate, and they don’t really seem to want to bring up painful memories by pursuing this matter any more. I made this post because I felt my grandfather got cheated in a cosmic way, that at the very least the man who killed him should have been charged with more than just reckless endangerment.
Here in Minnesota we have “vehicular homicide”. I’m amazed that the guy wasn’t charged with something akin to that. And your DA sucks, letting an illegal immegrant out on bail? Did he not argue flight risk?
I can’t believe that this guy got bail either. The chances of an illegal immigrant showing up for his court date have got to be pretty close to zero. And why the hell didn’t the DA charge the guy with, at a minimum, involuntary manslaughter?! :mad:
Is the DA an elected position? If so, then I’d make up a bunch of posters summarizing what happened and post them all over the district. Try to end this idiot’s political career.