I wish I had died, says victim of car crash

emmabrighton

"Cronin, the mother of a five-year-old child, lost control of her car just off the Old Commons Road in Cork on May 25, 2013 as she was driving home from a girls' night out.

While Cronin escaped serious injury, Ms Murray, who was a back-seat passenger, sustained major brain injuries."

Link here http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/i-wish-i-had-died-says-victim-of-car-crash-30781321.html

I will probably be slated for saying this but.... while I agree people should stop drinking and driving, should some of the responsibility not fall on the passengers themeselves?!?!?

If I was out drinking with my friends on a "girls night out", I wouldn't volunteer to become a crash test dummy and hop into the back of my drunk friends car. I'd get a taxi! I have the Halo app and I am not afraid to use it.

Also, while 85mg of alcohol per 100mg of blood is over the blood alcohol limit, its not a whopping 285mg or anything. How was the driver so out of control?

whiskeyman

emmabrighton wrote: »

Also, while 85mg of alcohol per 100mg of blood is over the blood alcohol limit, its not a whopping 285mg or anything. How was the driver so out of control?

You don't have to have any alcohol in your system to lose control of a car, but it will probably heavily affect your ability to drive.

CelticRambler

Being "out of control" isn't a permanent state, which is why people think that they're still in a fit state to drive. The problem is really that one's reflexes are compromised, and avoiding an accident is usually a matter of split second reflexes. See dog/person/vehicle -> instantly make appropriate adjustment (steering/braking) -> narrow escape ; add a fraction of a second to that process, or a mis-judged over-correction and you've got "loss of control".

I agree with the OP that passengers have a responsibility for their own safety, and a friend of the family is alive today because he refused to accept a lift home after a boys night out. When walking the 2km home, he came across the mangled remains of his four drinking buddies ...

Reoil

emmabrighton wrote: »

Also, while 85mg of alcohol per 100mg of blood is over the blood alcohol limit, its not a whopping 285mg or anything. How was the driver so out of control?

Isn't the legal limit 80?

TheDoctor

Was it not reduced to 60?

Timberrrrrrrr

Call me.cruel but i have zero sympathy for her.

JoeA3

85mg can hardly be said to be dangerously "over the limit", but there are so many other factors that can cause you to lose control of the car. Who knows, the passenger herself could have been a drunken distraction in the passenger seat. This girl probably had a glass of wine with a meal and thought she was "safe".

It's hard not to feel very sorry for her IMO... 34 years old, 5 year old child, her good friend brain damaged and now she's doing time. Yikes.

twowheelsonly

Reoil wrote: »

Isn't the legal limit 80?

It's 50 now.

At 85 it's quite possible that she had only one drink or two at the very most.
Females will always have a higher reading than a male with the same quantity drunk and it also depends on body type/weight etc.

I'd feel sorry for her as well to be honest. People with far higher readings have walked from court by virtue of technicalities or the fact that they hadn't injured or killed anyone.

Reoil

Reoil wrote: »

Isn't the legal limit 80?

Ah, I'm up north. Still 80 here. That's about two pints of Guinness for the average drinker.

Reoil

twowheelsonly wrote: »

It's 50 now.

Ah, I'm up north. Still 80 here. That's about two pints of Guinness for the average drinker.

emmabrighton

JoeA3 wrote: »

85mg can hardly be said to be dangerously "over the limit", but there are so many other factors that can cause you to lose control of the car. Who knows, the passenger herself could have been a drunken distraction in the passenger seat. This girl probably had a glass of wine with a meal and thought she was "safe".

It's hard not to feel very sorry for her IMO... 34 years old, 5 year old child, her good friend brain damaged and now she's doing time. Yikes.

I agree, 6 months - out in 4. But, that is 4 months away from your child.

I wonder did the judge go... its coming up to Christmas, operation Free Flow, or whatever its called now is in full swing... lets scare all those eejits who will be coming home from their Christmas party or driving the next morning... it doesn't take much to get to 85mg... you risk being locked up in prison by drink driving... even when a little bit drunk.

JoeA3

emmabrighton wrote: »

I agree, 6 months - out in 4. But, that is 4 months away from your child.

I wonder did the judge go... its coming up to Christmas, operation Free Flow, or whatever its called now is in full swing... lets scare all those eejits who will be coming home from their Christmas party or driving the next morning... it doesn't take much to get to 85mg... you risk being locked up in prison by drink driving... even when a little bit drunk.

It's absolutely frightening what the consequences of a terrible mistake can be. The 4 months is nothing... she'll have to live with it for the rest of her life. Those who are condemning her or have "no sympathy" would want to be careful they don't fall off their high horses.

Galwayguy35

JoeA3 wrote: »

It's absolutely frightening what the consequences of a terrible mistake can be. The 4 months is nothing... she'll have to live with it for the rest of her life. Those who are condemning her or have "no sympathy" would want to be careful they don't fall off their high horses.

I've no sympathy for her, it wasn't a mistake either, she chose to drive the car after drinking.

My brother was crashed into by a drunk driver, so I've seen first hand what the results of it can be.

PutDownArtist

Wow, people are very stingy with the sympathy round these parts it has to be said.

All it takes is a split second moment of madness and one's life can change forever. Surely people must realise this before judging others so severely?

zanador

I DO find it hard to have sympathy for her - although I think she will pay dearly having to live with what has happened...

I wouldn't want to be her, but I never get in the car if I've had a drink. It was carelessness, not an accident

The One Doctor

emmabrighton wrote: »

I agree, 6 months - out in 4. But, that is 4 months away from your child.

I wonder did the judge go... its coming up to Christmas, operation Free Flow, or whatever its called now is in full swing... lets scare all those eejits who will be coming home from their Christmas party or driving the next morning... it doesn't take much to get to 85mg... you risk being locked up in prison by drink driving... even when a little bit drunk.

Errr.. the judge went 'This women lost control of her car and as a result badly injured her passenger.'

The passenger would be perfectly entitled to sue through the driver's insurance company. The driver deliberately drove drunk and accepted the risk. She should have gotten far longer for fucking up the passenger's life through her own cretinous stupidity.

Timberrrrrrrr

PutDownArtist wrote: »

Wow, people are very stingy with the sympathy round these parts it has to be said.

All it takes is a split second moment of madness and one's life can change forever. Surely people must realise this before judging others so severely?

If i get drunk tonight, have a row with my neighbour and stab him in a "moment of madness" should i be treated leniently?

ahnowbrowncow

PutDownArtist wrote: »

Wow, people are very stingy with the sympathy round these parts it has to be said.

All it takes is a split second moment of madness and one's life can change forever. Surely people must realise this before judging others so severely?

It's not a split second moment of madness. A lot of times it's premeditated, they drive in to go drinking with the intention of driving home.

And no they're not really deserving of sympathy if they don't have consideration for the other innocent people's lives they may ruin by drink driving.

SEPT 23 1989

Most of us take stupid chances at some stage of our own lives 99% of the time you get away with it and get the chance to look back and cringe at your behavior. she is part of the 1% who cant and has to live with it everyday, its just a roll of a dice

Guy:Incognito

PutDownArtist wrote: »

Wow, people are very stingy with the sympathy round these parts it has to be said.

All it takes is a split second moment of madness and one's life can change forever. Surely people must realise this before judging others so severely?

It wasn't a split second moment. It was a thought out decision . The car wasn't in the pub with them, they walked at least a short distance to it. Then drove before crashing. It was also a decision taken by more than one person.

All in all , plenty of time and minds to decide not to do something stupid.

blueser

PutDownArtist wrote: »

Wow, people are very stingy with the sympathy round these parts it has to be said.

All it takes is a split second moment of madness and one's life can change forever. Surely people must realise this before judging others so severely?

Give over. She had been on a girls' night out. She'd had a couple of drinks (her choice, presumably) and had plenty of time to consider how she was going to get home. She then made a conscious decision to get in her car and driver home while over the legal limit. ''A little drunk'' doesn't come into it; she was over the legal limit and broke the law.

conorh91

ahnowbrowncow wrote: »

It's not a split second moment of madness. A lot of times it's premeditated, they drive in to go drinking with the intention of driving home.

I have sympathy for the driver; she's paid a penalty far beyond the magnitude of anything that the courts can mete out.

Nevertheless, I agree with your statement above too.

It is absolutely necessary that we must not allow alcoholic intoxication to be act as some sort of general defense to human stupidity or base guilt. If that were the case, I could intend to assault a child and intend to cause that child serious harm, then go out and drink 10 pints for Dutch courage, assault the child, and then claim my intoxication was responsible.

Too often, we blame drugs and alcohol in like they are forced into us.

Drug and alcohol abuse begins with deliberate personal choice.

When you choose to cede control of your mind to alcohol, you have made a deliberate choice.

Cantremember

The OP was really about the passenger who suffered catastrophic injuries. It's hard to blame her for saying what she said.