Friday, May 25, 2007

This kind of thing really makes me angry.

The father of Josh Hancock, the Cardinals pitcher who died in a car accident earlier this year, is suing the restaurant where Hancock was drinking, the operator of the tow truck Hancock plowed into, and unbelievably, the guy who's car broke down and was waiting to be towed.

He's suing despite the fact that Hancock's blood alcohol content was nearly twice the legal limit, he was talking on a cell phone and he was speeding. He also wasn't wearing a seatbelt, although the police said at the time of the accident that it wouldn't have saved him.

According to an article on Boston.com, Mike Shannon's restaurant is being sued for providing him with drinks after he was intoxicated. The tow truck driver is being sued for taking too long to get the broken down car out of the road. Worst of all, the lawyer says that guy with the broken down car was "negligent" for letting his car break down.

That's really unbelievable. I don't know about you, but I'm pretty careful about getting the recommended maintenance on my car when it's due. I still broke down once on the Mass Pike because a sensor died. Cars are complicated machines and they break down, sometimes at the worst possible moment.

Whatever happened to personal responsibility? Josh Hancock could have stopped drinking before he became intoxicated. He could have called a cab or a friend to take him home. He made the decision to be talking on his cell phone while driving over the speed limit on the highway.

I have no respect for drunk drivers. Not only do they endanger their own life, but they endanger the lives of innocent people driving their cars. Professional athletes talk about "respect" all the time. Josh Hancock showed no respect for anyone else on the road that night.

I don't bear any ill will toward Josh Hancock. He made a series of bad decisions that night and they cost him his life. If you're apportioning out blame, maybe 2% goes to Mike Shannon's for serving him when he was drunk and the other 98% goes to Hancock.

I'm sorry that Mr. Hancock lost his son. As a father, I can't imagine anything worse than having to bury one of my children. But I hope he comes to his senses and leaves these people alone.

1 Comments:

At 8:01 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I was just as angry when I read this. This screams in favor of new, stricter laws about "frivolous" lawsuits. I am saddened that another human being has died. Any death lessens the human race. But the blame is obvious here.

And what's more ... the police have stated that the drive who had broken down broke down AFTER he spun out - the spin-out caused by him taking evasive maneuvers because he was cut off!

I hope this gets to court and is tossed out before it costs taxpayers any more money to go through the system.

 

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