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Posted: 12/28/2006 5:05:36 AM EDT
PLEASE DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON!
www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-licras285031190dec28,0,4509384.story?coll=ny-top-headlines  Erica Rutherford, 16, left, places flowers at scene of the deadly crash where Shannon Megarry lost her life. Rutherford was the best friend of Megarry. (Photo by James Carbone)  Shannon Megarry, 16, of Rocky Point, was killed when the car she was riding in struck a parked van and flipped over.  The scene of a fatal accident at the intersection of Half Mile Road and Nadine Lane in Terryville in which a 16-year-old girl was killed and the 17-year-old driver was charged with drunken driving. (Photo by James Carbone)  Police handout photo of Vincent Cocco, 17, of Centereach. Cocco was arrested for DWI on December 26, 2006 after police say he smashed into a parked van and flipped his vehichle, killing one passenger inside and injuring two others. 
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Posted: 12/28/2006 5:32:52 AM EDT
[#1]
Why does the intoxicated person ALWAYS SURVIVE? Whatever happened to karma?
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Posted: 12/28/2006 5:39:23 AM EDT
[#2]
Still tragic nonetheless. Perhaps the most tragic part is that it is remarkably typical. Since when do judges get to testify during arraignments? 
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Posted: 12/28/2006 5:48:36 AM EDT
[#3]
She got what she deserved. When you watch your driver drinking then you get in and drive of with him...you made you own bed. It's too bad Darwin didn't get all four of these morons. |
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Posted: 12/28/2006 5:49:04 AM EDT
[#4]
yes, the kid was 17...
but our DUI limit is above .08 in GA. he probably hadn't had more than 2-3 beers... almost ALL OF US have driven after that, many with their families or friends in the car, and been completely safe. btw, i am NOT defending this kid, just throwing that little niblet of info for you guys to mull over... eta: anything above .08 = DUI... |
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Posted: 12/28/2006 5:58:14 AM EDT
[#5]
Not surprised at the outcome....
Kids+booze+fast car=  I am surprised at one dead, 2 injured...and not a mark on the driver!! |
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Posted: 12/28/2006 5:58:36 AM EDT
[#6]
deserved is quite harsh and ignorant. Expected maybe, but hardly deserved. |
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Posted: 12/28/2006 5:59:58 AM EDT
[#7]
WTF is there to mull over?
A 17yr does not have the experience or skills as "most" adult drivers. Add imparement to that and it's a disaster waiting to happpen. No matter how many times you have driven drunk and thought yourself "completely safe".
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Posted: 12/28/2006 6:11:13 AM EDT
[#8]
The limit is .04 if the driver is involved in an accident. |
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Posted: 12/28/2006 6:30:34 AM EDT
[#9]
What a bizzare, nonsensical standard put in place just to appease MADD. |
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Posted: 12/28/2006 6:31:10 AM EDT
[#10]
The driver is usually wearing a seatbelt. If the passengers were wearing seatbelts , they would more often be okay too. |
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Posted: 12/28/2006 6:33:50 AM EDT
[#11]
In GA? I have never seen anyting lower than .08 unless your an underage driver, in which case it may be .04. .08 is low for the actual impairment it induces, but everyone reacts differently to the amount of alcohol they drink. I would like to know where this car was parked, what were the road conditions. |
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Posted: 12/28/2006 6:41:22 AM EDT
[#12]
What is the lure with young kids wanting to drink in the first place? I just don't get it.
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Posted: 12/28/2006 6:44:55 AM EDT
[#13]
Uh, last I checked, if you are not 21 , you can't have alcohol in your system PERIOD. Regardless of the amount. .00000000000001 BAC is a DUI for an underage driver. Please tell me this is the law in all 50 states? ETA: And if you actually believe that you can drive "perfectly safe" after drinking ANY amount of alcohol, you are a certifiable retard and should not be allowed to operate a motor vehicle. |
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Posted: 12/28/2006 6:46:46 AM EDT
[#14]
You're an ass. I had a 17 year old niece killed in 1982 when the car she was riding in went thru a stop sign and was t-boned by a RV. 4 high schoolers in the car. Middle of the day. No one drunk or drinking, but the driver fucked up. She was supposed to be in school and not riding around. Everyone fucks up, even you. Let's hope someday you get what you "deserve" when you fuck up. 
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Posted: 12/28/2006 6:49:55 AM EDT
[#15]
Why is it so hard for people to simply not rive a car if they have had alcohol to drink?
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Posted: 12/28/2006 6:51:48 AM EDT
[#16]
No, she didn't. No one "deserves" that, and to think so is callous ignorance. She did, unfortunately, reap the tragic consequences of a very, very bad decision. Very sad story, but a reminder that choices have consequences, and stupid choices often have very bad ones. Her choices were stupid, and her death senseless. Stupid is supposed to hurt. Sometimes, it's fatal. I'll be teaching my daughter that. SG |
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Posted: 12/28/2006 6:53:56 AM EDT
[#17]
WTF, the minimum to sustain charges for DWI in NYS for a person UNDER 21 is .02, .08 is for people over 21, so this kid was way over.
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Posted: 12/28/2006 6:55:18 AM EDT
[#18]
In IL we have a "Zero Tolerance" law for under 21/under .08. In IL our average DUI arrest has a .16 BAC. (www.cyberdriveillinois.com/publications/dui/section2.html) |
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Posted: 12/28/2006 7:00:12 AM EDT
[#19]
another niblet... the kid refused the breathalizer at the scene. it required a court ordered blood test at a hospital. It takes time for a court order to go through (at least around here, you're looking at a hour and a half to two hours). It is highly likely by that point that a 17 yr old's metabolism had done it's work. IMO, the kid was drunk (for all intents and purposes); in fact, even more so than his blood test would have indicated. |
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Posted: 12/28/2006 7:00:37 AM EDT
[#20]
Let me first say IBTL.
Second. That girl didn't deserve to die....WTF? That's a pathetic thing to say. You might actually be saying it to a relative you know. |
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Posted: 12/28/2006 7:01:37 AM EDT
[#21]
People will continue to drink and drive because they think that the laws against doing so are invasive and don't pertain to them as it would inconvenience them somewhat. I would inconvenience the life breath out of someone who killed one of mine if they were drunk behind the wheel. Accidents happen but driving after drinking isn't an accident.
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Posted: 12/28/2006 7:01:41 AM EDT
[#22]
Alabama limit is .002% for under 21.
SG |
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Posted: 12/28/2006 7:03:33 AM EDT
[#23]
Cool points earned for admitting that most of us on this site have driven on 2 to 3 beers. If he had 3 beers and could not drive, I doubt he could drive before the beers. I wont lie and act as if I never drove drunk before, some of my most drunk nights I remember, I had to drive myself home. I knew very well what I was doing was WRONG, but did it anyway, I survived and so did everyone else on the road. The key: DONT DRIVE LIKE AN ASS WHEN YOU KNOW GOOD AND DAMN WELL YOUR DRUNK. From the pics, that kid HAD to be speeding. |
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Posted: 12/28/2006 7:07:58 AM EDT
[#24]
I agree the girl did not deserve to die.
However, I find it equally troubling that she is placed on a pedestal and the driver is crucified for "taking" her life. ALL parties involved made poor choices and like stated above, stupid hurts and sometimes kills. Personally, I think all four kids are equally guilty, but the driver will be the one who gets hammered because the parents and society in general needs someone to point the finger at when tragic stuff like this happens. |
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Posted: 12/28/2006 7:25:27 AM EDT
[#25]
I have seen horrific accidents caused by perfectly sober people. DUI isn't the end all. It is just one less chance to take and a very convenient scapegoat. When you see the term "alcohol related crash" it could be one beer or twenty. "Alcohol related" doesn't mean anyone was DUI, it just means one of the drivers admitted, or was found to have been, consuming some amount of alcohol.
Works the same way with "speed". Look at it this way, if you were driving 90 MPH down the highway and a meteor fell out of the sky and crushed your vehicle that would be a "speed related" crash as long as there was self admission or proof that you were exceeding the speed limit. Gotta love the way traffic stats are tabulated. |
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Posted: 12/28/2006 7:34:44 AM EDT
[#26]
a good point- something i thought about shortly after posting... i just pray this girls death will have a huge impact on her friend's lives in that they will think twice before driving after drinking too much. i hope she didn't die in vain. not that i'm lilly white, and i am NOT condoning driving while drunk, but most of us can and have driven safely after a few beers btw, why be an ass and say she deserves this? who pissed in your cheerios today? eta: re-thought a statement.... and leather-whatever... i was throwing out an idea to mull over in the discussion, don't be an ass. do you run around looking for fights? also... if you could not safely operate a motor-vehicle without drinking ANY alcohol, why isn't the legal safe limit .00? show me a study that says 1 drop of alcohol results in slowed motor-function and reflexes... |
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Posted: 12/28/2006 7:35:00 AM EDT
[#27]
You're wrong. You sound just like the people who rail against (guns, or whatever issue) - absolutism and failure to concede ANYTHING is the sign of a dogmatic, irrational approach to a topic. |
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Posted: 12/28/2006 7:37:18 AM EDT
[#28]
"Deserve" has nothing to do with the girl's death. The idea that she deserved this is absurd and offensive. That being said, a friend of mine died doing the same thing. We grew up together and she was an awesome person. She made a decision to get in the car with the intoxicated driver, knowing full well that he was drunk. She did so against the protests of her friends. I was supposed to see her that weekend, but I didn't make it. A few days later I collected her personal effects from the mortician and attended her funeral. She deserved to live a long and happy life, but what happened was a result of an informed decision she made. In a way she had it coming, but nobody deserves to die like that. As for the "we have all driven while intoxicated crowd", there is no excuse. Putting the public at risk because you think you are good to go is the wrong answer and is not justifiable, no matter how many people have done it or the level of meaning you attribute to various BAC limits. What I find amusing (?) is how drunks leaving a location will jockey for position so as not be be stuck driving, avoiding the risk of getting a DUI while ignoring the risk of death and dismemberment. As much as I hate to give credit to Darwin.... |
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Posted: 12/28/2006 7:38:20 AM EDT
[#29]
No, no , no, no , no........ The key is to NOT DRIVE IF ALCOHOL HAS TOUCHED YOUR LIPS! My God, why is this so hard for people to grasp? |
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Posted: 12/28/2006 7:42:02 AM EDT
[#30]
O.k., by your reasoning, I should be able to show up at the local indoor range drunk off my ass and rent a gun to shoot for the day?  Your logic has more flaws than a ford pinto. |
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Posted: 12/28/2006 7:44:07 AM EDT
[#31]
no, but you could DRIVE to the local range after having A BEER at dinner with your family and be PERFECTLY SAFE. either you don't drink at all, or don't know how to drink in moderation- and your opinion of what one beer can do is EXTREMELY skewed... |
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Posted: 12/28/2006 7:44:13 AM EDT
[#32]
Don't drive if Alcohol has touched your lips? Ever? How long should we wait? An hour? 4 hours? A day? A month? What if I only had 4 beers? What if I only had 2 beers? What if I only had 1 beer? How about a half of a beer I split with my dad? What if I just tasted a buddy's beer to try a new flavor? I understand and appreciate your philosophy (highlited in red, above) -- there's no denying it works -- but to demonize the rest of us as you have in this post and the other which I've previously responded to is, well, wrong. The fact is that there IS a dividing line where on one side it is "okay" and on the other "not okay," but simply because it's hard to make up a rule to quantify does NOT mean we all need to adopt the dogmatic approach you've espoused in this post as well as the one previously (where you castigated us and called us idiots for thinking one could safely operate a motor vehicle "after ANY amount of alcohol." *) *LeatherPuke's exact quote: "And if you actually believe that you can drive "perfectly safe" after drinking ANY amount of alcohol, you are a certifiable retard and should not be allowed to operate a motor vehicle." |
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Posted: 12/28/2006 7:50:07 AM EDT
[#33]
removed questionable link
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Posted: 12/28/2006 7:56:21 AM EDT
[#34]
+1 she made a decision and this time it had fatal consceinces |
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Posted: 12/28/2006 9:43:35 AM EDT
[#35]
Look at the aviation regs. What is it? 8 hrs between bottle and throttle? Why is that if low amounts of alcohol don't impair the operator? You don't hear of many alcohol related aviation accidents, do ya? Those guys respect the law and live by it every single day.
Next time you take a drive after 10p.m., take a look around. Based on the weaving I see, I'd guess that half the drivers out there are impaired. Just look around--how many friends do you have that would get behind the wheel in any state short of obliterated? A couple at least. Many many more will drive while slightly impaired. I think the majority of us understand the limit and have a pretty good feel for where it is, but most are also very comfortable with pushing that limit or bending it to varying degrees. I don't see a good reason why the limit shouldn't be zero. Ty |
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Posted: 12/28/2006 9:59:57 AM EDT
[#36]
Put me firmly on the side of DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE.
It's not hard to call a cab or a friend to come and pick you up. I've done it a few times. I REFUSE to drink and drive. ABSOLUTELY REFUSE. I had a glass of wine with dinner the other night, ONE GLASS, and called a cab. I'm not taking *any* chances. I value my life and the other people on the road more than that. Did I feel impaired after one glass of wine? No, not at all. Is that to say that it wouldn't affect me fifteen minutes later? No, not at all. I'd rather be safe than sorry. |
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Posted: 12/28/2006 10:05:37 AM EDT
[#37]
I've lost a family member and some very dear friends to drinking and driving... I hope it's your kid next time. - BG |
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Posted: 12/28/2006 10:14:06 AM EDT
[#38]
They don't just survive. They usually don't even get scratched. |
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Posted: 12/28/2006 10:34:42 AM EDT
[#39]
Because the "adults" make such a big deal about it. |
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Posted: 12/28/2006 10:37:16 AM EDT
[#40]
Shove it Arschloch! |
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Posted: 12/28/2006 11:46:53 AM EDT
[#41]
.
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Posted: 12/28/2006 11:59:41 AM EDT
[#42]
 Don't lock it yet! Leatherpuke has not yet responded to my excellent post this page ;) |
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Posted: 12/28/2006 12:03:05 PM EDT
[#43]
Being drunk makes you physically more relaxed and less aware of oncoming danger, and you don't tense up, making you less likely to be injured at time of impact. |
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Posted: 12/28/2006 12:03:36 PM EDT
[#44]
Because that requires behaving responsibly. People who have a goal of going out and getting hammered are by definition irresponsible. And there are tons of people here and elsewhere in the world that want to excuse irresponsible behavior. It is sad that this girl is dead. But as the old saying goes: Life is hard. Life is much harder if you are stupid. She did a dumb thing by getting into a car driven by a drunk driver. |
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Posted: 12/28/2006 12:07:36 PM EDT
[#45]
I stay home and out of trouble on New Year's Eve. It's a night for amateur drinkers.
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Posted: 12/28/2006 12:24:11 PM EDT
[#46]
The only time I've been in a vehicle with someone who was drinking, they weren't drunk and I was the one driving. If someone is stupid enough to let a drunk get behind the wheel...
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Posted: 12/28/2006 12:32:42 PM EDT
[#47]
Sad news on all parties
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Posted: 12/28/2006 12:59:28 PM EDT
[#48]
IF there is a lesson to learn here it isn't so much about alcohol, it is more about being a responsible parent and teaching your children how to make wise decisions, and the consequences of making poor ones.
NEvermind...it is just easier to blame the driver.. |
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Posted: 12/28/2006 1:00:56 PM EDT
[#49]
First you say "any amount of alcohol" then you change it to "drunk off your ass". I absolutely, positively, guarantee you I can drink two beers with a meal and have no side effects you could measure short of a breathalyzer. |
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Posted: 12/28/2006 1:13:20 PM EDT
[#50]
When he's setting bail, he can make light of statements the kid made to cops in determining how high to set it. 1. Dont get in a car with someone whose been drinking. 2. Wear your seatbelt. |
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