7 Years

http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/061308/met_290116475.shtml

What do you all think?
Discuss or not.

Wow... That is the first I have heard about that accicdent. It is a very graphic story. It is ashame that those lives ended this way. Just horiffying.

So why was this driver up for 34 hours? Was he working the enitire time? I know that they are only permitted to drive a certain amount of time in a day and so forth but I also know a couple of drivers myself and they say it is nearly impossible at times to follow all the regs to a "T".

I am not saying the guy is not guilty however IF he is an honest working man then I would say the system is at fault also.

Sure we can discuss. I am going to be outnumbered on this one, but that's OK. I will be away most of the day anyway....

I am guessing most of you think 7 years is not enough. I have to think that it's just fine. Until you have been in a drivers shoes and dealt with the demands placed on them you have no idea what it's really like. Some of you already know this, but I was acquitted of misdemeanor vehicular homicide in Novemeber 2003 from an wreck October 9th 2002. I was pulling my semi tanker, the plumber that T-Boned me was killed instantly. It's a long story that I have no problems talking about if people are interested. I can certainly understand the drivers pain. I'll be back in a few hours... gotta go drive around and get paid for it on Friday.

I imagine the driver has his own family, and is probably a decent guy at his core....but, even with only a 7 year sentence, he will serve a life sentence in his own mind. The memories of those dead children will haunt him forever. I do not believe anyone can purge that kind of memory, and not one day will pass that he does relive what he did. He will get out of prison at 40, and his life will still be tormented. Stop a minute and spend one full minute thinking about how you would feel if you were him. Then spend a minute imagining the grief of the parents. No sentence, even life in prision can assuage their sorrow. This is among the saddest and most tragic situations imaginable.

You hit my thoughts and feelings exactly there CB..

pirate_girl said:

You hit my thoughts and feelings exactly there CB..

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I'll echo that and hope that everyone that is not commenting is at least giving CB reps for those words

I'm assuming that he was driving for Crete Carriers at the time of the accident, since no other trucking company was mentioned. Crete is a hugemongous company that, like other large companies, require their drivers to abide by the hours of service laws. This because it keeps DOT out of their headquarters, gives them a public image of a safe company, and keeps insurance rates down. What this driver did before he went on duty is out of the hands of the company. His off duty time is not regulated, so if he spent the previous time not resting, the total onus is on his shoulders.
In the case of a driver who is pushed by his company to work too many hours without rest, he still has the option, legally of course, to stop and sleep, no matter what.
While I agree this fella is probably a decent guy, and that this turn of events will affect his family forever, I'm still placing the total responsibility on his shoulders.
When a ship is in port, it is, often, under the control of someone other than its skipper. Once underway, the captain is the boss. It's just the same with a truck. Once it leaves the terminal, the guy behind the wheel is the boss. If he stops for a nap because he's tired, he's legally entitled to do so. His job is to use his best judgment in all areas, including staying alert.
I'm sorry for the loss of those kids, I'm sorry for what their parents will live with the rest of their lives. I'm just saying it the way I see it.
The prison sentence, once served, will not be the end of his punishment. He will bear this burden on his conscience for the remainder of his living days. In effect, he will serve out his own life sentence.
Just my opinion.
Trakternut.

I agree Trakternut. I could not imagine living with the guilt of killing those children. People tend to forget that tragic car accidents can happen to any of us. This is a tragic story for everyone involved.

cityboy and trakternut both speak the truth. Nothing can return those children. No punishment can be delt from the law that would be as bad as he will punish him-self. But the "fault" is still his. He must "pay for his crime" to society.
A very, very sad situation all around.

Everything cityboy and trakternut have said really sums it all up....i full well know (i have done haulage and still do the odd run)the second i start that engine that lorry...it's load my safety and "MOSTLY"the safety and well being of all other road users is fully my responsibility...it's my job to check the vehicle over for any signs of faults and it's me that follows the driving laws and to rest up when tired.

The driver never meant this to happen and i hope in some way he finds peace....the sentence he got i dont know what to think....maybe a life ban from driving would have served a better purpose and sent a stronger message.

i will say a prayer for the victims and their loved ones.

Galv.

I don't know about the rights and wrongs and who's to blame for what, personally, at this place in my life...I don't feel like I have the right to judge anyone for anything.

All I know is that I was struck dumb while reading about this tragedy.
To think that all it takes is ONE little moment, ONE little person, ONE little circustance.

ONE little "X" factor.

That's all it takes to slam us to the ground and take our breath away.

So many people were touched by this ONE moment in time.
It's like this Time Continuum that we exist upon should have some kind of scar on it to mark the very moment when so many lives were forever changed. But it doesn't. There's no mark on Time, the Universe continues unabashed, and "God" moves along to the next thing, and the next thing, and the next. Probably not even noticing...

Anyway...it just strikes me that such a small moment, a millisecond, can not only change, but demolish the lives of the victims and their loved ones, and the driver, and his family and his loved ones. Ok, even if we agreed that the driver is guilty, is his wife guilty? Are his children or his parents guilty? Who or what decides why these particular people suffer?

Life is a game of situational ethics.

I don't know if he's guilty or not, but it seems to me that he was just a pawn in something that was going to happen anyway. The guilty one is "God". Or whatever deity or fate may have "planned" this event. If it wasn't this truck driver who fell asleep at the wheel, would it have been someone else? You? Me? Our brother or father? You get my drift.
Did this man do something in his past life that he's paying for now? Are we all just moving from life to life reaping the rewards and punishments that are owed to us from past lives? If so, when does it all end?

Wow...I seriously need to mellow out, don't I? Hey bro, pass that dubie...

American Woman said:

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What? Did I get too deep again? I knew it... I'm so full of it...

Yeah, you are, but I still luv ya!

Trakternut said:

Yeah, you are, but I still luv ya!

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Thanks, I can feel the luv!

The artical says no alcohol or drugs were invloved so why was this tried as a felony? Six years ago my brother was killed by a no alcohol/drugs driver who fell asleep and she was charged with the lessor misdemeanor simply because of that fact.

Trakternut said:

I'm assuming that he was driving for Crete Carriers at the time of the accident, since no other trucking company was mentioned. Crete is a hugemongous company that, like other large companies, require their drivers to abide by the hours of service laws. This because it keeps DOT out of their headquarters, gives them a public image of a safe company, and keeps insurance rates down. What this driver did before he went on duty is out of the hands of the company. His off duty time is not regulated, so if he spent the previous time not resting, the total onus is on his shoulders.
In the case of a driver who is pushed by his company to work too many hours without rest, he still has the option, legally of course, to stop and sleep, no matter what.
While I agree this fella is probably a decent guy, and that this turn of events will affect his family forever, I'm still placing the total responsibility on his shoulders.
When a ship is in port, it is, often, under the control of someone other than its skipper. Once underway, the captain is the boss. It's just the same with a truck. Once it leaves the terminal, the guy behind the wheel is the boss. If he stops for a nap because he's tired, he's legally entitled to do so. His job is to use his best judgment in all areas, including staying alert.
I'm sorry for the loss of those kids, I'm sorry for what their parents will live with the rest of their lives. I'm just saying it the way I see it.
The prison sentence, once served, will not be the end of his punishment. He will bear this burden on his conscience for the remainder of his living days. In effect, he will serve out his own life sentence.
Just my opinion.
Trakternut.

Click to expand...

Since the judge stated that this is not the end of this matter, and the fact that the company was mentioned by name, maybe this employee has agreed to testify later for a minimum sentence? As for Crete requiring their employees to follow DOT regulations--- when faced with making a profit and meeting schedule demands, who knows.

This is so sad. All my symapthy to those who lost their children.