BODIES OF SOUTH CAROLINA COUPLE WHO WENT MISSING EN ROUTE TO NEW YORK TO VISIT FAMILY FOUND

Fox News Channel | 12/11/2006

[Howlin]

I was kind of surprised to hear his name, even though they obviously bleeped out his address and phone number.

I wondered if that is considered a matter of public record? I can't see how, can you?

[TommyDale]

I guess I have ESP.

[Sue Perkick]

It looks like it applies to the people actually involved to me. But it's NC so it's not going to be clear. It was the only thing I could find.

I just don't understand the mentality of someone who would drive off knowing a car is in the water like that.

[libravoter]

I was kind of surprised to hear his name, even though they obviously bleeped out his address and phone number. I wondered if that is considered a matter of public record? I can't see how, can you?

I'm sure it is a matter of public record, but that doesn't mean they need to broadcast his name in an audio recording.

In particular, I'm thinking of the man who found little Samantha Runion's body in California. That audio was played on many many broadcasts, but they bleeped out when he said his name.

[Sue Perkick]

Despite the law, your ex did the right thing. The last time I heard about a female stopping for a fender bender in Greensboro the female was forced into the guys car, taken to a house & raped for several days. She did the "right thing" according to the law. When she got out of that car she didn't stand a chance. Like you said, look at the situation the department is in right now. I'd rather take my chances than depend on them.

[woodbutcher]

It looks like it applies to the people actually involved to me. But it's NC so it's not going to be clear. It was the only thing I could find.

I just don't understand the mentality of someone who would drive off knowing a car is in the water like that.

---

Where I would stop, I can understand someone not stopping.

Check my link at the end of my #522. Written by a lawyer.

To make a joke and get flamed by all lawyers, maybe it was a lawyer that called.

NC does not require you to stop or render aid.

Think about it. How could you pass such a law?

Maybe the first person on the scene is a heart patient who is wheelchair bound.

You can think of 100 variations on that scenario.

Or look at it another way. There is a law that says you must stop. So you see a car with its front bumper against a tree. The door is half open. Legs hanging out the door. Obviously the poor fellow has collapsed while trying to get out of the car.

So you slide to a stop, rush madly over to help and find your self staring down the barrel of a .45. Wild imagination? No, something similar to this happens every now and then. The common unimaginative garden variety of this is the woman on the side of the road with a stalled vehicle. Only it turns out that she has a male accomplice behind the bushes.

Or a man and a woman fighting on the side of the road.

So you can't force anyone to stop, but you have to hope that people will use their brains. A car in the water is not going to be a threat to a person who stops. Of course, if you can't swim, you have a heart condition that cold water will trigger, you have dope in the car, you have just left your girlfriend's house and you wife will find it out because your job is on the other side of town and you have no business there.......

Even the cops tell you that your first duty is to look after your own safety first.

There is one thing that does bug me. I can not understand how so many people who supposedly know what to look for, as they are in some form of emergency/rescue work, could ride by a broken guard rail and not look to see what went through it.

I am not going to get into the tire track matter, although I do have questions about that, but guard rails are 2 to 3 ft. above the grass, are easy to spot at any speed, and I have never seen a guard rail erected by the NC DOT that was not immediately visible from the road. They just do not put those things in the woods.

Either someone was not alert, or more than likely the news report was not correct.

If it was the former, someone should kick butt. If it was the latter, the record should be corrected so good people are not blamed.

In any case, if the impact killed the man it is more than likely since neither used their seat belts that the woman was knocked out or nearly so and probably was not able to make any effort to keep her head above water. So even if it took a few minutes for the car to fill, it is not likely she would have survived.

Meaning that it mattered not to the victims that it took 4 days to find them. So although the family is upset, they should lighten up on the cops.

[woodbutcher]

The last time I heard about a female stopping for a fender bender in Greensboro the female was forced into the guys car

---

It is hard to do, but the first rule for a woman is that if she does stop, do not get out of the car. Sit in the car with all doors locked and windows up and call 911.

Only get out after you have determined it safe to do so.

That is the hardest advice in the world to follow. What happens when you get bumped? You roll out of the car mad as hell red in the face, ready to choke the sob stupid idiot that can't drive a nail....

And at that point you are a pushover.

By the way, I am sure you have read that there are people who will bump you at a stop sign just so you will jump out in anger.

You need to use your head.

I keep my doors locked at windows up AT ALL TIMES.

I think it saved my life once. A long story to tell here but the bottom line is that a guy reached in the window, which I had down about 6" to talk to him, and I clamped it on his arm and dragged him up the road until he decided he had enough. In the days of the mechanical window. You could close them pretty fast.

I've been around a while. I know lots more stories, but this is not the place or the time.

Now I said earlier that I would have stopped and I would have. That does not conflict with the story here. The reason for keeping your doors and windows locked is to keep from being surprised by the unexpected.

If I get out of my vehicle on the side of the highway, I have already decided what I am going to do. I can still get a surprise, but at least I am thinking about it and not looking at that good looking girl standing on the corner or listening to XM political radio programs with my mind miles and miles from where I really am.

Over 50 years on the road gives you some time to think about this stuff.

[sissyjane]

I can't believe the idiot didn't stay until help arrived. Unbelievable!

[surfer]

I have been away for personal reasons and have not been able to post. I wish I could have jumped into some of these comments though.

I will post some comments here and you can all jump on them and blast away however, I will not be able to respond for a while but you can bet I will be back to.

First I find it very interesting that Howlin didn’t use her star resource WRAL links when she put the excerpt out here…after that she pointed to ABC’s link for the 911 call.

Here is the link to the article that Howlin referenced.

http://www.wral.com/news/10519487/detail.html

In the article you should take the time and listen to the 911 call and most importantly watch the video on the page.

At the following positions in the video you can review the tire tracks for yourself (keep in mind the video was taken at night). Position 9-13 seconds, 51-54 seconds, 1:33-1:36 minutes.

From what I saw in the video it is pretty clear that the tire tracks should be easily seen. In addition now that we hear a guardrail was damaged in addition – THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO REASON GIVEN A COMPETENT SEARCH THAT THE ACCIDENT SCENE WAS NOT DISCOVERED ON THURSDAY AM.

This is most definitely a failure on whoever was responsible for searching that area and at a minimum deserves a reprimand.

Watch the video, review the 911 call in detail and you decide if it is possible to somehow not find this accident scene on a clear, cool day during daylight?

To deflect this issue on to the caller is simply absurd. I wonder how many other cars traveled past that location and saw the accident and didn’t bother to make a call. Someone noted in their post that you couldn’t see the head lights. The 911 call if you listen to it mentions lights not specifically head lights. He also states the car is clearly visible in the swamp. The electrical system in a car can continue to work for many minutes after it is submerged – that has been proven with tests over and over again – anyone connected with water rescue would have this knowledge if they have kept up with their training.

SissyJane if you are connected to LE you are simply a disgrace to the profession. You really need to think about your comments – you are obviously trying to the defend LE no matter what and trying to deflect any discussion on it (blue wall time has long gone past ). If you are not part of LE I surely hope you are not trying to imply you are I am not sure how that would play out with general statue 14-277.

WoodButcher as always you demonstrate that you are a person of great wisdom thanks for carrying on the fight.

It is really unfair to slam the driver that called. Yes he could have done more but it wasn’t his responsibility to do so regardless of his personal situation – all of that is not relevant. 95 near Rocky Mount is a busy road and I would find it hard to believe that no one else saw the car. If you want to slam someone slam the people that didn’t have the heart to make the call.

To bring the race of the driver into this discussion is absurd. It has nothing to do with any of this.

In addition the 911 operator failed in his responsibility to collect the proper information and surely they all bear responsibility for not calling the driver back and asking for more information.

Has anyone analyzed the specific locations the caller said the accident was?

Granted EMS response probably couldn’t have saved their lives but what about next time where a mistake like this could make the difference?

Now let’s talk about the word collision. For the last time it was discussed because people make assumptions about the words Traffic Collision – and that was reported by the media as the phrase that was used from 911 services to HP.

Has it been determined how the accident occurred yet?

I will be able to look at the scathing responses from SissyJane and Howlin later and I will respond.

[null and void]

I have been away for personal reasons and have not been able to post.

Yeah. My condolances. Welcome back.

[surfer]

Howlin,

Once again you prove that you really don't have an eye for detail or at least you want to paint something that supports your argument and not get to the facts.

If you actually read post 22 you will see it is response to post 10. I did not start it...I merely added fuel to the fire!

You attacked me first and tried to proclaim that you are the one that always gets the facts right, yada yada ya.

This is just another example that you don't look at all the facts but merely make a post to support your useless arguments.

[surfer]

Thanks...not a family member but a friend. It has been one of those years...sad time of year for this kind of stuff.

[surfer]

I forgot one important point.

It was absolutely foolish of the Guay's to not be wearing their seatbelts. In this case it could have definitely been a factor in their own survival.

Very sad.

[null and void]

Granted EMS response probably couldn’t have saved their lives but what about next time where a mistake like this could make the difference?

Bingo.

[blu]

It was absolutely foolish of the Guay's to not be wearing their seatbelts.

It's foolish for ANYONE to ride in a car without a seatbelt on. And car seats for kids...but don't get me started!

[Howlin]

Don't waste your time; we've all been posting without you and getting along just fine; it is your who are the troublemaker here.

And I am not sure people who are interested in this topic are interested in reading your petty remarks.

I suggest you find something else to post about, as you are beginning to sound deranged.

[Howlin]

You were referenced in 549, but not given the courtesy of a ping to defend yourself.

[surfer]

You are the one with the reputation not me.

Point out one thing in the post that you replied to that is deranged?

The people will read the comments and make up their own mind.

Now you want to control who and what gets posted?

Also it is interesting that some of the comments from your little cabal have been removed by the moderator...

[surfer]

I apologize for not including you in the post. I actually didn't realize you made the first post about race. I am remotely accessing and trying to catch up with limited time. If you did play the "race card" why wouldn't you bring everyone that was involved in the situation - shouldn't you look at the race of each individual involved?

Not something I would do but seems to be more logical than just shifting blame to an innocent bystander who tried to do the right thing...

Tommy Dale if you were not the person to inject race into this - please accept my apologies as I don't have the bandwidth to verify it at this point.

[surfer]

Problem is...a lot of car seats are not manufactured correctly and they are certainly not installed properly most of the time.