When your actions ruin the lives of others…
Let’s face facts; many of us have tried to get away with things we’ve done wrong over the years. This is especially true when we were kids. But as we grow, don’t you think we need to take ownership of our own actions? This is especially true when our actions affect the lives of other people.
Recently, a driver was charged with the deaths of four people and the injuries to two others after he apparently ran a stop sign and crashed into the other two vehicles. The driver was charged with impaired driving along with speeding. He was also charged with injuring two people and for the deaths of the above mentioned four people; three young kids and their grandfather. I understand about the “innocent until proven guilty” aspect of our society, but there has to be more to this than that.
Let’s talk about hours before that devastating crash. IF alcohol was indeed present, and a Breathalyzer was used at the scene, was this driver drinking alone? Doubt it. He had allegedly just returned from a bachelor party in Las Vegas. Could a plan have been made before drinking began so he could arrive home safely? Definitely. Was there an alternative to driving after drinking? What about the fact the driver was charged with speeding? Reports indicated they were doing twice the legal limit just before crashing at the intersection. If all these reports can be proven in the courts, perhaps the driver’s vehicle had a black box in it to record data, where does this leave the families of those who died?
I try to “put the shoe on the other foot” as often as I can. I teach my kids this as well. I ask them, “How would you feel if someone else did that to you?” when they make mistakes. The thing in this crash is, it could have been easily prevented. But now that it happened, what will happen to the driver charged? Will their lawyers be successful to reduce the charges? Does money talk? Should they serve the time for their actions?
So here’s the thing…as a responsible driver, we need to look beyond the immediate. We all want to enjoy life and have fun, but if your fun could ruin the lives of other people, you need to stop. You need to make other plans before the fun begins. We all make mistakes from time to time, but what happened here was not a mistake. It was a tragedy. Justice may be served, but the lost lives won’t be returned.