Girl, Dad Charged in Fatal Crash; Out-of-Control Car Killed Young Mom

Philedelphia Daily News ^ | 05/26/05 | David Gambacorta

[m1-lightning]

Isn't the district attorney being a little harsh here? Do you feel equally bad for the father and daughter as well as the victim?

[tfecw]

"http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1410928/posts"

Here are some other thoughts. This article (the one I'm posted on now :) ) has a lot more info though.

[Mr. K]

idiocy... sometimes and accident is just an accident.

cite him for allowing her to drive, but geez...they didnt mean to kill anyone

[af_vet_1981]

Isn't the district attorney being a little harsh here?

No

But I would like to see additional charges against the DA herself in the interests of justice ...

Do you feel equally bad for the father and daughter as well as the victim?

No

The victim was not responsible for the crime that led to her death.

[Zavien Doombringer]

Punishing for accidents is stupid. If it was intentional, then that's different.

[IMissPresidentReagan]

I feel badly for them, however, it was irresponsible to allow the daughter to drive without even a learner's permit (not that a learner's permit would've prevented the accident necessarily). Not only was it irresponsible, but it is illegal. His reckless judgment contributed to the young mother's death and while I don't think he should serve twelve years in prison, I do think that he should be punished. A plea is likely and will hopefully mete out the "right" amount of justice.

[Judge Roy]

Also note
http://www.nbc5i.com/news/4534410/detail.html

[clee1]

Not equally bad, but I get the point.

IMHO, criminally; the teen should forego a driver's license and be on probation until age of majority. The father should face the same charge as he would for just allowing his daughter to drive without a permit, and suffer the appropriate punishment. The death was an accident that not even a permit would have helped avoid.

Civil damages should provide for the orphaned child through college.

[acad1228]

They were in a parking lot. Traffic laws do not apply. The father could be charged with reckless endangerment or manslaughter.

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

No an accident is when a person has no control of a problem.

A person who drives (aims) a car across a persons lawn and kills a person commits murder.

[shekkian]

Let me make this clear ...

Brake on the left, gas on the right!!!

[acad1228]

The girl cannot be denied a driver's license when she reaches 16 because she broke no traffic laws.

[beezdotcom]

They were in a parking lot. Traffic laws do not apply. The father could be charged with reckless endangerment or manslaughter.

That's really the issue, here. (Although another mitigating factor might be whether or not she was in fact elegible for the permit, but just hadn't gotten it. If so, then the lack of a permit could be shown to be irrelevant to the crime, and not a contributing factor.)

[m1-lightning]

A person who drives (aims) a car across a persons lawn and kills a person commits murder.

Is that what happened?

[dsc]

What, the father didn't have time to reach over and turn the ignition off? He couldn't take the car out of gear? He couldn't tug on the wheel and miss the woman?

What was he doing while the car crashed into a fence, crossed an intersection, and soared up the lawn?

All that said, I agree with the people who call it an accident.

[FreedomHasACost]

I suppose that drunks should get that same leniency under that logic.
I too feel bad for the girl and her dad, but stupidity should not be an excuse.

[drt1]

""I think the judge will evaluate the situation and see it's nothing more than an accident."

I respectfully disagree. This is no more an 'Accident' than handing a loaded, cocked weapon to an initiated, unaware juvenile - And we are all too familiar with the potentially lethal outcome of that idiocy.

The father was skirting a logical law, one made to ensure that anyone getting behind the wheel of a potentially lethal machine, posses the requisite knowledge about it operation and control. IMO he is guilty of manslaughter and the juvenile is innocent in her reliance on her father that this was a safe way to learn to drive.

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

Sarah McGinley, 18, was pinned by an out-of-control car on her fiance's front lawn on April 17, just seconds after she tossed her 1-year-old daughter to safety. She died from her injuries a few hours later.

[PaulaB]

Does anyone remember how we all learned to drive? Did any of us have a learners permit? No we didn't...but my dad taught me to drive on country roads.

I agree with you though. What the heck was the dad doing? Why didn't he put his left leg over to hit the brake? Weird story.....

[Idisarthur]

Sad so sad.

Yeah, here in Virginia, Maryland and DC kids are dying left and right.

These parents get them cars and they don't even have experience...

You need time on the road, hours clocked, tick-y marks saying that you've encountered almost anything.

Well my opinion is biased as I think teenagers are stupid. : D