For the record, he had just presided over a confirmation ceremony on the other side of town from 6 to 7:30. After the ceremony, he probably attended some sort of reception, as he did at my daughter's confirmation last year. The accident occurred at 8:30 which sounds about right as far as traffic, etc.
But ya know, I wouldn't blame him if he had had a nip or two...if you could see the way the media is treating him and Catholics as a whole here. Absolutely disgusting! They have special music and graphics on TV, calling it "Crisis in Faith," etc.
IMO, if someone leaves the Church over this matter, they were probably looking for a reason to leave. My Church and my faith were built on Jesus, not on any one man. We are all sinners, and even a man of the cloth can succumb.
Sins of weakness are one thing, but there is no excuse for criminal behavior, which is what O'Brien has engaged in.