Support NeoGAF

[ghostofsparta]

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/...-crash-mother-baby-killed-20150504-story.html

The crash occurred just before 7 p.m. Saturday when, police said, Livermore resident Brian Jones, 35, sped his 2014 Chevrolet Corvette eastbound around a curve, lost control, jumped a curb and careened toward a walkway leading to an apartment complex, hitting a mother who was walking with her 14-month-old daughter.

Neighbors grieve after mother, child killed by suspected drunk driver in Livermore.
The Alameda County Coroner identified the victims Monday as Esperanza Morales-Rodriguez, 46, of Seaside, and her daughter, Yulidia Perez-Morales.

Police say Jones’ car hit the pair, then caromed off one tree, then a second and slammed through two backyard fences and part of an apartment wall before it came to a rest. Two of Morales-Rodriguez’s relatives, 6- and 7-year-old boys, were injured by debris. Police said if the car hadn’t hit the trees before going into the backyard, it would have drove right into them and killed them too.

What detectives do know, however, is that just a couple of hours earlier Jones had been at the Livermore Wine Country Festival about half a mile away. Police don’t know when he left but said the festival stopped serving alcohol at 5 p.m. and closed at 6 p.m. The crash was reported at 6:51 p.m. Police said Jones voluntarily took a breathalyzer at the scene of the crash, which showed his blood alcohol content was .13; the legal limit in California is .08.

Officers booked him Saturday night on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and a DUI causing great bodily injury. On Sunday, Jones posted $350,000 bail and was freed.

Almost kills 2 other boys.

Truly sad.

 

[obin_gam]

Horrible

I hope that man never gets a good night sleep ever again.

 

[Jacksinthe]

Throw his ass in jail and forget he exists, FML. Fuck drunk drivers.

 

[Mr. Giggles]

Officers booked him Saturday night on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and a DUI causing great bodily injury. On Sunday, Jones posted $350,000 bail and was freed.

Damnit, should have set the bail much higher.

Throw the book at this guy

 

[No Love]

What a piece of shit. Dumb fuck shouldn't be driving a Vette, apparently even the traction control couldn't save his pathetic drunk ass.

I hope he gets the worst penalty possible. They better not let him off lightly.

 

[ghostofsparta]

Damnit, should have set the bail much higher.

Throw the book at this guy

My thought as well. I'm by no means an expert, but 350k seems low for killing 2 people and injuring 2 others.

 

[EdibleKnife]

Jesus Christ. Why, why, why do people keep thinking that they are the person who will successfully drive home drunk?

 

[Dice//]

Woah....

Jesus Christ. Why, why, why do people keep thinking that they are the person who will successfully drive home drunk?

Yeah I don't understand this.

 

[zbarron]

It's tragic how one mistake can ruin someone's life and end two others. I hope all who are effected find peace.

 

[Mammoth Jones]

Jesus Christ. Why, why, why do people keep thinking that they are the person who will successfully drive home drunk?

Honestly? Because most times they do just that. You think every convicted drunk driver was driving drunk the first time?

No way. They played roulette each time and always seemed to win so they kept at it.

 

[EdibleKnife]

Honestly? Because most times they do just that. You think every convicted drunk driver was driving drunk the first time?

No way. They played roulette each time and always seemed to win so they kept at it.

I guess so but it's like, is the risk really worth not paying a taxi fee? Is the risk really worth not waking up your cousin to drive you? Or paying for a hotel? You get home maybe, but you also total your car maybe or kill someone at worst. I guess I can't attribute right thinking to people who would be sloshed by the time it becomes a factor anyway.

 

[GulAtiCa]

Throw his ass away for a long long time...

Fuck drunk drivers...

So sad.

 

[NYCmetsfan]

I guess so but it's like, is the risk really worth not paying a taxi fee? Is the risk really worth not waking up your cousin to drive you? Or paying for a hotel? You get home maybe, but you also total your car maybe or kill someone at worst. I guess I can't attribute right thinking to people who would be sloshed by the time it becomes a factor anyway.

Alcohol impares that specific part of the brain that makes those decisions

 

[Mammoth Jones]

I guess so but it's like, is the risk really worth not paying a taxi fee? Is the risk really worth not waking up your cousin to drive you? Or paying for a hotel? You get home maybe, but you also total your car maybe or kill someone at worst. I guess I can't attribute right thinking to people who would be sloshed by the time it becomes a factor anyway.

I agree but some folks don't think it'll happen to them until it does.

 

[Somnid]

Jesus Christ. Why, why, why do people keep thinking that they are the person who will successfully drive home drunk?

The inconvenience of not being able to drive home, in that moment, is a much more pressing issue than the fact that they may kill somebody. This is because the latter while serious is not common enough to be a dealbreaker, what's probably more likely and mentally weighed is getting caught. Humans aren't good at understanding things with low probability but very serious consequences and especially not while drunk and being pressured by a potentially irritating situation.

I think expecting better judgement isn't going to work given the scenario, we need physical barriers like outfitting all cars with breathalyzers.

 

[Escargo]

Such a shame. Why drive to a wine festival. That itself has DUI all over it.

 

[Addy117]

Was just reminded of my toddler niece and my sister while reading this. Can't imagine what the family must be going through. This guy should also be jailed for 24 years

 

[gutter_trash]

fuck drunk driving, it's 2015

if don't know that drive drunk is bad by now, you should go to jail just for that

 

[NYCmetsfan]

The inconvenience of not being able to drive home, in that moment, is a much more pressing issue than the fact that they may kill somebody. This is because the latter while serious is not common enough to be a dealbreaker, what's probably more likely and mentally weighed is getting caught. Humans aren't good at understanding things with low probability but very serious consequences and especially not while drunk and being pressured by a potentially irritating situation.

I think expecting better judgement isn't going to work given the scenario, we need physical barriers like outfitting all cars with breathalyzers.

And better public Transportation. The government should, especially at events such as this help subsidize a taxi or uber service

 

[Shaanyboi]

Fuck drunk drivers man... that's fucking horrible

 

[Demon Ice]

He can still be charged and eventually sentenced for the crime even though he posted bail, right? Or is it literally he paid $350k to get away with killing 2 people?

 

[AlucardGV]

....you can kill 2 persons and pay your way out like this?

 

[GungHo]

Alcohol impares that specific part of the brain that makes those decisions

Pretty much. You're expecting people to rationalize something when they're incapable of rationalization. Of course, if you walk the issue back, though, they had an opportunity to rationalize all of this when they were planning their evening out.

 

[EdibleKnife]

Alcohol impares that specific part of the brain that makes those decisions

Seems like all bars need a gigantic neon sign outside that says "Hoe Don't Do It"

I agree but some folks don't think it'll happen to them until it does.

You're not wrong. But fuck, these stories make it hard to ever think of going out on the town without a plan already in mind.

I think expecting better judgement isn't going to work given the scenario, we need physical barriers like outfitting all cars with breathalyzers.

That I wouldn't be against.

 

[GungHo]

....you can kill 2 persons and pay your way out like this?

No. He just posted bail so he can be out while awaiting trial. He still has to return for trial. If he doesn't return, he forfeits the bail and will likely be additionally charged for failure to appear.

 

[genjiZERO]

He can still be charged and eventually sentenced for the crime even though he posted bail, right? Or is it literally he paid $350k to get away with killing 2 people?

He'll almost certainly be charged with at least involuntarily man slaughter. A bail just means he doesn't have to stay in jail while proceedings are brought against him. I'd be shocked if he doesn't do hard time.

 

[Somnid]

And better public Transportation. The government should, especially at events such as this help subsidize a taxi or uber service

Absolutely. It seems to be much more a problem in smaller cities where cars are necessary to get anywhere. Humans and cars are just a bad idea, we need to get people driving less and we need to stop expecting cars to be the norm.

 

[Ke0]

In another part of the country, a protester's bail was set to $500k after he turned himself in...

 

[Hesemonni]

Somehow I want to see the mugshot more than usual on this one.

 

[outunderthestars]

Well, that is a rather depressing story.

 

[Al-ibn Kermit]

Alcohol impares that specific part of the brain that makes those decisions

It lowers inhibitions but you are in complete control of whether you're going to drive or not. In fact that's something you usually decide before you even start drinking and in his case, there's no way he got over twice the legal limit without knowing it.

And better public Transportation. The government should, especially at events such as this help subsidize a taxi or uber service

Firstly, fuck them for letting this guy (and probably several others) drive home drunk. If this was organized by the city, then they should be responsible for at least testing each driver before letting them go or even providing a taxi/shuttle service.

But this guy can afford to go wine-tasting and a corvette than an uber is definitely not out of his means.

 

[ghostofsparta]

Somehow I want to see the mugshot more than usual on this one.

I'll add it to the OP.

 

[TheOMan]

Go straight to prison. Ugh.

 

[Khaos_Knight]

Its always especially tragic when its the jackass driving drunk who survives and not the victims.

I can't imagine the amount of rage and fury burning in the heart of the man who lost a daughter and wife just because some yuppie wanted to go wine tasting and didn't have the sense to take a cab.

 

[Earthstrike]

I guess so but it's like, is the risk really worth not paying a taxi fee? Is the risk really worth not waking up your cousin to drive you? Or paying for a hotel? You get home maybe, but you also total your car maybe or kill someone at worst. I guess I can't attribute right thinking to people who would be sloshed by the time it becomes a factor anyway.

If you don't have a lot of money, absolutely it becomes worth the risk in the mind of the driver.

 

[ghostofsparta]

And he wasn't charged. He's a free man right now.

http://abc7news.com/news/family-confronts-suspect-in-fatal-livermore-dui-crash/698116/

Alameda County prosecutors said Tuesday they aren't yet filing charges against Jones. However, prosecutors say they're still reviewing the potential case and could still file charges against him at a later date.

"The judge in there says they need more time to find out (the) charges," said Delila Hall, a friend of the victim. "What kind of more proof (do) they need? They need more bodies to be in there?"

The fact that he was out, the judge doesn't do nothing, not even a slap on the hand, that's not right. That's what made me angry," said the victim's friend Dalila Hall.

He should be charged eventually, but I would NOT be one bit surprised if he gets off lightly. Pleasanton/Livermore are wealthy locations, the perfect place where a man who drives a corvette would get away with this lightly.

 

[Yagharek]

It's a shame he killed those people. If only he had died instead.

 

[Poltergust]

And he wasn't charged. He's a free man right now.

http://abc7news.com/news/family-confronts-suspect-in-fatal-livermore-dui-crash/698116/







He should be charged eventually, but I would NOT be one bit surprised if he gets off lightly. Pleasanton/Livermore are wealthy locations, the perfect place where a man who drives a corvette would get away with this lightly.

I should've expected this when I saw that this guy somehow managed to accumulate $350,000 for bail. =/

 

[SapientWolf]

The inconvenience of not being able to drive home, in that moment, is a much more pressing issue than the fact that they may kill somebody. This is because the latter while serious is not common enough to be a dealbreaker, what's probably more likely and mentally weighed is getting caught. Humans aren't good at understanding things with low probability but very serious consequences and especially not while drunk and being pressured by a potentially irritating situation.

I think expecting better judgement isn't going to work given the scenario, we need physical barriers like outfitting all cars with breathalyzers.

I predict that the people born now are going to be horrified at the thought of people driving cars without computer assistance, let alone after drinking. Maybe cars will be able to detect that the driver is drunk one day, even without a breathalyzer.

 

[Valnen]

Alcohol impares that specific part of the brain that makes those decisions

I've been utterly wasted more than once and never, ever thought it was a good idea to get behind the wheel of a car. There's really no excuse for this.

 

[No Love]

I should've expected this when I saw that this guy somehow managed to accumulate $350,000 for bail. =/

$35k isn't hard to get. He probably had his parents pay the $35k to gwt him out.

 

[Poltergust]

$35k isn't hard to get. He probably had his parents pay the $35k to gwt him out.

You're missing a 0 there.

 

[Zvonimir Boban]

Yet the Baltimore kid who turned himself in was given bail for $500,0000, heh.

Alcohol impares that specific part of the brain that makes those decisions

Was it impairing that part of his brain when he made the decision to drive himself to a wine festival in the first place?

 

[No Love]

You're missing a 0 there.

Try again. Bail bondsman charge you 10% of your total bail to bond you out. So it was $35kish to get him out.

 

[ponpo]

You're missing a 0 there.

If you pay the courts, you pay 100%. Going through a bondsman you only pay 10%, yet have to show you have 100% in property or something else so that if you don't show to court they cease everything.

e: beet

 

[Poltergust]

Try again. Bail bondsman charge you 10% of your total bail to bond you out.

Is that how it works? Whenever I see bail amounts they always did seem rather exorbitant.

 

[senorchris]

He should be charged eventually, but I would NOT be one bit surprised if he gets off lightly. Pleasanton/Livermore are wealthy locations, the perfect place where a man who drives a corvette would get away with this lightly.

Pleasanton - yes. Livermore - no. It's one of the more 'affordable' towns in the Bay Area.

I've been out drinking in Livermore with friends (with a DD, I hasten to add) - you can't rely on an Uber being available out there, ditto taxis, buses, etc.. It's annoying - Livermore seems to be trying to sell their downtown breweries/wineries as a nightspot to neighboring cities, but don't do enough re: transportation home at the end of the night.

 

[ghostofsparta]

Try again. Bail bondsman charge you 10% of your total bail to bond you out. So it was $35kish to get him out.

You learn something new every day.

 

[Leynos]

Pleasanton - yes. Livermore - no. It's one of the more 'affordable' towns in the Bay Area.

I've been out drinking in Livermore with friends (with a DD, I hasten to add) - you can't rely on an Uber being available out there, ditto taxis, buses, etc.. It's annoying - Livermore seems to be trying to sell their downtown breweries/wineries as a nightspot to neighboring cities, but don't do enough re: transportation home at the end of the night.

Yeah, Livermore isn't a posh area like Pleasanton is

Spoiler

I miss living in Pleasanton

.

I've never considered it, but wine festivals, and the like definitely should be required to provide transportation for the inebriated. Too many people drive around while drunk/buzzed, and end up killing some poor innocents just going about their day.

 

[Nephtis]

This may be in bad taste (and if it is let me know and I'll remove it), but I can't help but think of this guy when I see that picture:

On a serious note, fuck drunk drivers. I hope they throw the book at him as hard as possible.