On December 30th, 2007, 24-year-old Michael Gagnon, a construction worker, almost single-handedly wiped out a family heading home to their residence in Maryland after spending Christmas with family and friends in Michigan.
After drinking himself into a stuporous 0.254 blood alcohol level, Michael Gagnon left the party at the Rodeo Bar and Grill, for no good reason.
His family had three rooms rented at the Holiday Inn that the Rodeo Bar and Grill shares a parking lot with, and he could have stayed there quite easily.
But Michael Gagnon really wanted some Taco Bell.
So, despite the fact that there were designated drivers at the party, such as his pregnant sister, he left the party to go and get it, hopping into his brother’s black 2005 Ford F350 pickup truck that they used for construction work and heading on down the road to the nearest Taco Bell.
You have to be pretty drunk when people working at Taco Bell notice that you’re too plastered to drive, but that’s exactly what happened as Michael Gagnon drove through the drive-through.
If you click over to the right a little, you can listen to the 911 phone calls made by a few of Michael Gagnon’s fans that night.
What would have been an easy drive for a sober man was made extraordinarily complicated by Michael Gagnon’s drunkenness.
Only Michael Gagnon knows what was going through Michael Gagnon’s head at the time, but he missed the turnoff for the interstate to head back to the party and continued along until he saw, swerved towards and drove onto the wrong on-ramp - a maneuver that makes perfect sense when you’re sitting at a blood alcohol level three times the legal limit.
He might even have gotten away with the maneuver if the on-ramp that he drove onto wasn’t, in fact, an off-ramp.
Michael Gagnon drove about four miles down the wrong way on the highway before he smashed into the 1999 Chevrolet Astro minivan that 36-year-old Daniel G. Griffin Jr. was driving his family home in.
This photo pretty much explains what happened.
Michael Gagnon’s brother, Samuel Gagnon, whose MySpace profile can be found here, felt something was wrong and called Michael Gagnon’s cell phone. Michael answered the phone and said, “Sorry, bro.”
Yeah.
Eyewitness accounts say that both drivers tried to avoid a head-on collision, but that the passenger door was basically ripped off it’s hinges as the full-size Ford pickup truck ran into the minivan.
As the minivan was ripped open, an assortment of stuffed animals, toys, luggage, gift wrap and baby blankets flew over the highway, along with several of the children who were riding in the minivan.
The injuries were pretty much what you would expect. Broken bones. Massive head trauma. Death.
Less than 10 minutes after Michael Gagnon left his little party, he had managed to kill the voting majority of a large, happy family.
What makes it worse is that when police arrived, Michael Gagnon was belligerent and completely uncooperative, fighting with the paramedics who were trying to treat him and screaming at the firemen who pulled him out of his brother’s truck.
The only remotely positive bit of information I can find about this incident is that it happened at a time of night when most of the kids would have been asleep.
Who did Michael Gagnon murder?
Well, mom Bethany Griffin died. She was 36. Her MySpace page can be found here. 10-year-old Jordan Griffin died too, along with 8-week-old Vadie Griffin. 10-year-old Haley Burkman and 7-year-old Lacie Burkman, Danny Griffin Jr’s stepdaughters, were also killed.
Danny Griffin Jr. survived, although I’m sure he’s none too happy about that.
Michael Gagnon? He’s fine - just had a minor jaw injury, five counts of aggravated vehicular homicide and a $1.25 million bail. Don’t worry about him.
If he should ever get out, I certainly hope that his future employers and landlords perform an employee background check or a tenant background search on him.
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You hypocrites! Everyone deserves hell (read the Bible), and this little turd was only doing what all of you taught him to do (i.e. think only of himself at all times regardless of the circumstances because hey God loves me any way).
You need to know that each one of those who died in that vehicle “accident” is in hell right now.
The only thing you should be worried about is when you will splash dive into hell.
Read these verses, repent, obey God and shut up your hypocritical mouths:
Lu 16:23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
Lu 13:3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
Lu 13:5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
Job 8:13 So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite‘s hope shall perish:
Thank you!
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Tammy reply on March 2, 2008:
The fact is it’s all well and good to have memorial websites and myspace pages to the victims but untill we have change in this country with how we deal with drunk drivers it’s all just memories to people with more to come. The victims that have survived should use their stories to help make a change so others will not just become another sad memorial on the internet.
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In response to Abi…you’re a moron. How can you say that all of those innocent victims are in hell. In my opinion we are in hell now with all the horrible things I read about everyday. I have to believe that once we leave this god forsaken earth that there is a better place in store for us. Especially sweet innocent child victims. As for the drunk driver - I feel for him as well because he will have to live with their blood on his hands for the rest of his awful life, even though it was an accident.
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Mark 10:14 But when Jesus saw, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
10:16 And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.
Ooo, the kids are in hell, huh?
Watch out who you quote scriptures to. There might not be many here, but there is at least one Christian who won’t allow you to talk out of your neck. Yes, we all deserve Hell, yes many will not accept Christ, yes repenting is a part of Salvation, but I do not believe that God would sentence a 8 week old baby to eternity without His Grace. Infants and young children do not have the capacity to accept Christ as their personal savior and confess aloud their choice and thus be saved. (Romans 10:9)
Thank YOU
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It seems that if someone who had the morals of Joe Horn was either at the party with Michael Gagnon or working at the Taco Bell MAYBE the Griffin family could be at home right now reading about how some vigilante assaulted, shot or killed someone who did not harm anybody, but because of his high BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) became a victim of a vigilante.
Instead everyone around Michael Gagnon did what they should and nothing more - they called the authorities. I am not blaming the authorities - they can NOT be everywhere policing everyone all the time; instead I blame the courts because if anyone had used any type of force to stop this POS, they’d be criminals!
We need more Joe Horns - people that not only know what is right, but will act upon such.
Abi - I do not have a Bible infront of me, but I do know that somewhere in the Bible it says “by your fruits you shall be known”, I am fairly certain that the children now in a place far beyond evil’s reach. As far as Michael Gagnon goes - he COULD go to heaven, but given the facts of the story, espcially the fact that he was belligerant after doing what he did, it’s a safe bet that he’s going to the place of eternal torment. When was the last time you went to a pear tree to get an apple?
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Whoa!
One of the Phelps family commented. Bizarre.
They’re famous for something, I think. Can’t think of why at the moment, but I’m sure it’ll come to me, or I’ll be reminded.
Unless I go to Hell from now until then, of course.
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ha ha Phelps is an ass. Maybe if he was there, you know at the Taco Bell he would’ve knocked soem sense into Michaels head with one of his “God hates Fags” signs. ha ha.
as far as the family is concerned I feel bad for them. I’ve been buzzed at times just driving a few miles (I know it’s a no-no) however I think I would know if I was going the wrong way on the freeway. However having a BAC that high, I don’t know if I’d even know which pedal did what.
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Abi you are the worst kind of sick bastard there is. How dare you even inference that those sweet beautiful children are now some how rotting in hell? The type of hate you have spewing forth from your vile contemptible pea sized piece of a brain will surely snare you a special spot right next to the devil himself. That woman was kind and intelligent and a fantastic mother, neither she nor any of her family deserved to die or to be injured in that horrible accident, but I would gladly cheer if they were to replace them all with only one. YOU
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Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.
Do not talk about the eternal fate of people you do not know.
You don’t know where their hearts were.
Feel free to judge when you are perfect.
You call everyone else hypocrites? Look at your own actions and words. You are the reason people look down apon Christian. Your actions give people who follow God a bad name.
Lord help you, because you surely aren’t helping yourself.
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I assume Abi includes himself in his “Everyone deserves hell”.
Be Seeing you Abi!
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i think abi is just trying to piss people off!!Hes a dead motherfucker…
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So an 8 week old baby is in hell? Funny because I know for a fact Bethany and her family were a Christian family. You and your WBBC lunatics need to get some mental help.
If we are all going to hell, I’ll see you there because I honestly doubt that you are exempt from that.
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I love this site but I really can’t stand how everything has to be so religious. UGH. It drives me crazy absolutely crazy
so with that being said people take the whole “going to hell” poll WAY to serious. It’s just entertainment. Hell we can only bring someone in and take someone out in this world, not necessarily decide what happens to them after the fact.
It’s all fun an games. Ya’ll need to understand that!
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Who’s “ya’ll”?
I have no issue with the little poll.
I have issues with the idiot psycho from WBBC saying that my friend and her children are all going to hell without knowing them or what they are about.
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that’s who the ya’ll is. Not the few of us who seemingly can stay away from bible verses and understand that it’s strictly entertainment.
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First I want to applaud Whit and tell Abi that he/she is a complete idiot. I feel so bad for this family. No child ever deserves to die, and for something so stupid. Why didn’t someone at that party take the dude’s keys? The brother for instance? This “accident” could have easily been prevented and its sad that alcohol ends so many lives. Its alcohol for crying out loud. It tastes bad and you feel like crap the next day. So not worth it. I hope he thinks about those children every day of his worthless life.
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Wow, I didn’t know Charles Mansen was out of jail and a christian now?? Hey Abi, I don’t often say this about people I don’t know but your a f*cking asshole!!!!! How dare you say those innocent children are in hell!!!??? Oh, and by the way Mr./Ms. “high and mighty”, if you are such a God fearing person why are you not respecting the 1st commandment (thou shall have no other God above me).. that means you are NO ONE to judge so you shut up and repent because I don’t think Christ will appreciate you saying an 8 week old baby deserves hell…. your probably one of those idiot extremists who blows up abortion clinics right?? get a freaking life and I certainly would not want to be YOU on judgement day… you are just a bad as that drunk driver and you give good-hearted Christians a bad name!!.. I hope you don’t have kids because I am sure you are poisening their minds just like yours is poisened… Oh, and FYI, we didn’t teach him to get drunk and drive he did that on his own, watch what you say because I, for one, was hit by a drunk driver in my car and almost died myself so in closing I would like to say F*CK YOU ABI and why don’t you actually go to a normal church (with no special punch) and learn a thing or two about our Lord!!!
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Actually I think Mr. Manson is a priest or something up in prision. I think that’s what I heard. If I’m wrong, correct me but he is some kind of religious figure.
Helter Skelter
I can’t help but to throw that in any time that Manson is mentioned. It’s like a trade mark.
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Caressa…
it tastes bad going down and coming up.
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so this Brittany chick thinks that Bethany and her family’s death at the hands of this jackoff is entertainment? Fuck you bitch go give Abi a lap dance on an electric chair
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ha ha. no I said the voting and polls is entertainment.
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I don’t give guys lap dances either let alone give anyone lap dances. I purely like to receive them.
If you look at the other post I don’t think anything as far as what happens to the families is entertainment. Just the polls.
Who the fuck do you think you are putting words into my mouth? Wow…you’re a real winner.
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I hope this guy rots in hell for a very long time.
Most of all I hope the knowledge of what he has done haunts him.
What a beautiful family my prayers are with you!
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This was such a horribly tragic accident. As a family member of Mike, I feel horrible for the victims and their family. I do not think Mike will go to hell. He is a great person. A christian himself. He is living is own personal hell right now. Yes he was beligerent with the authorities, but that was the alcohol. He made a HUGE mistake and he will pay for it for the rest of his life. I know first hand what kind of person Mike is, and he would give up his own life to bring them back. I wish there was something I could have done, but he left without any of us knowing. As much as our family thinks about how we could have changed things, its too late. I will probably never see Mike again and for good reason. May God have mercy on him when it is his time. I am positive that the victims are in heaven now and just may forgive Mike for his mistake. You can be a great person all your life, it only takes one mistake, one HUGE mistake, and your dammed forever. God Bless!
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Abi-
Mat 12:33 Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree corrupt and its fruit corrupt; for the tree is known by its fruit.
Luk 6:44 For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush.
So, as I said earlier……..
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I’m sorry for any family members of Mr. Gagnon, but I have no sympathy for him whatsoever. He made a series of choices, each more boneheaded than the previous and as a result, a family is destroyed. As a Christian, he had better be on his knees begging God and his victim for forgiveness. He should be kept in a cell decorated with life sized photographs of his victims. Drunk drivers are a huge pet peeve of mine. I can’t think of a more senseless and avoidable tragedy. If you are at a party where someone is getting this out of hand, car keys should be confiscated and not returned under any circumstances until the next day. Are you honestly telling me that no one recognized how sauced this guy was? Why did the staff at the bar allow him to get that way? Where I’m from the server or bartender could be held personally liable if they have overserved and something like this happens. How did none of the sober members of the party not catch him taking off? This level of intoxcation isn’t exactly subtle. There are many fingers of blame to be pointed, but the bottom line is, this guy chose to get in a vehicle that wasn’t his and make a run for the border. His choice, his responsibility and he should have to spend the rest of his sad life atoning.
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He should be forced to have the victim’s pictures in his cell for the rest of his life as well as being forced to make presentations to colleges and high schools about how one night of drinking can destroy your life forever
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I can’t stand drinking and driving. It’s like shooting a gun at random and acting surprised when one of the bullets hits someone. There have been many times when I have been drunk, hell, there have been times when I could barely walk from it. But not once did I loose sight of what was right and what was wrong. I can’t stand it when someone uses drinking as an excuse for idiocy.
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Abi…It still amazes me that there is always one dumb fucker that spews out verses from the Bible when a tradegy like this happens. What fucking denomination are you affiliated with that would have you believing the bullshit you wrote ? Put that Bible down boy and get on your knees and thank God that none of us know where you live. And please..do us all a favor..if you find someone stupid enough to ever have sex with you..wear a condom…there are too many dumb fucks in the world already.
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I knew this story was going to make it here. Michael Gagnon definitley deserves Hell.
There is no excuse for driving drunk. It’s such a shame that this innocent family perished and that scumbag survived. He should have been the one to die.
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Gagnon family: You provided local hotel rooms and designated drivers. What you missed is giving drunk people the chance to make the decision to drive. Drunk people don’t make good decisions. The designated drivers should have had all the keys. No drinking person should have access to keys. That’s part of drunk driving prevention.
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I was brought up in a very strict BAC household. I believe the bible has many prohibitions against drunken-ness.
That’s one thing I don’t like about the BAC religion… that no matter what you do, you’ll be forgiven. Pretty much it means you can do every shitty thing heathens do… but you’ll still be forgiven and get to go to heaven… while the heathens who do the same things will not.
No matter what a great xian his family/friends think he is, I will not be surprised when it comes out that this is not the first time Mr. DUI was 3 times the legal drunken limit… just the first time he massacred a family because of it. Gotta love xianity… you can make the same fuckups over and over, and as long as you ask god for forgiveness, everything’s a-ok. What a great religion.
When it comes down to it, who the eff cares what religion someone is, as if it excuses the things they do? Everybody wants to call themselves xian nowdays. I prefer people who are no religion at all, who are consistent in their morals, and don’t wipe out whole families with their drunken-ness.
I would imagine that whatever hell this loser DUI guy will go to when he’s dead can’t compare to the hell the surviving dad/stepdad is having to live in right now.
c
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his cousin owns the bar…im sure it wasn’t the first time he was drinking more than he should. the bar is a party playground for kids under the age of 21. The owners, three YOUNG men, often have allowed girls and boys underage drink there. As a customer, I have seen many drunks leave the place..When you have 21 year old owners laughing at how drunk they can get a customer, it is no suprise this incident happened. i am sure Mike was a good christian, but i have no tolerance for drunk driving. I like the point that was said this probalby wasn’t the first time he drank and drove. Its just the first time he was caught…
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maybe it wasn’t the first time he was caught. maybe it was just the first time that it was fatal.
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I loathe you religious nut-bags, heaven and hell is all made up to make money off you suckers. Donate 20% of you pitiful monthly check to the church, what a load of shat.
As for M Gagnon, let the living members of the Griffin decide his fate and punishment.
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ha ha ha ha…thats a good one Ed.
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Oh hey…looks like I was right.
The AP said “Gagnon’s driver’s license has been suspended multiple times after he failed to provide proof of insurance or registration, and he has had two speeding tickets since 2002, according to the Michigan secretary of state’s office.”
That’s close enough.
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First of all as a family member of Mike, I can tell you that all of us our praying for the Griffin family members and friends. This is hard for all of us! It was such a horrible accident! But he does not deserve hell. And who are any of you to wish that opon someone. THAT IS GODS CHOICE AND HIS ALONE! None off you know him obviously. He was a good guy, that mad a horrible choice. I am sure he won’t need to picture of them in his cell, b/c I am sure each of their faces are implanted in his brain for the rest of his life! He is not the only one that has made the choice to drink and drive. People do it everyday! Let this be a lesson to everyone. Never drink and drive. And as for blaming our family. I think we are all doing that on our own with all the what ifs that are imagainable. It was no one elses fault. He didn’t have his car their! He didn’t have keys to take away.
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as a close member of mikes family, i know that he is EXTREAMLY EXTREAMLY torn up about this. mike would do anything for anyone. everyone makes mistakes and he will and has learned from this experience EVERYONE HAS! He is not some WACK JOB that woke up that monring and when on a killing spree this is an ACCIDENT A TERRIBLE TRAGIC ACCIDENT! AND FUNNY you say he had his DL taken away MULTIPUL TIMES, try once and that wasn’t for anthing but not payin a FEE!! not for anything else, thats right a FEE!!!! Mike is very much a family man and if anything was to happen to him w/ the reverse he would not act the way you people are acting. and as for blameing the family, i understand that you all feel that you have to balme someone for this but there is only one to blame and that is Mike, he only blames himself, we had no idea that he left and as soon as we did we were freaking out and looking for him cause we did have rooms to stay in. and as for the guy that goes on about blameing the bar i notice that you YOURSELF SAY YOU GO THERE REGULARLY, so you must be sober as can be when you leave THE BAR right? i understand what happened is terrible and dont think for one second that our family is not COMPLETELY DISTRAUGHT over this. Mike is the most responsible, caring, thoughtful, respectful, christian, person who has done alot of great things before this. and we love him and always will, he is our family, and i you guys can go on “BASHING” him if it makes you feel better but let me tell you this, the only people that DESERVE TO GO TO HELL, is no one, we are all god children and he will help us in our toughest time.
“THOSE W/OUT SIN LET THEM CAST THE FIRST STONE…”
god bless….
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I loathe you religious nut-bags, heaven and hell is all made up to make money off you suckers. Donate 20% of you pitiful monthly check to the church, what a load of shat.
As for M Gagnon, let the living members of the Griffin decide his fate and punishment.
ED SMITH WE WILL SEE YOU IN HELL
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hey I was just going by a source.
I understand you’re his family but wtf? have you seen the pictures from the accident? Have you seen the van? the presents all over the place?
I blame a few people. Obviously Mike himself. Then there’s the supposed designated drivers who should’ve took ALL the keys but didn’t. Then ofcourse there’s the cops and if you do enough research online you can see the multiple phone calls made and the 26 or so minute laspe that could’ve prevented this. I’m not saying it would’ve but it could’ve and it didn’t so I blame the responding officers as well.
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As a computer programmer, i do not program every waking hour of the day. I cook, eat, bathe, watch TV, drive, spend time with my wife & daughter, etc…
Mike is now known for his DUI killing of many mebers of a family - something that he does not do every day, but something that the surviving members of the Griffin family will have to live with every day.
At my class reunion, the food was so-so at best. I got soo wasted on 4 1/3 of the best Alabama Slammers ever! I was so trashed that I dare not even walk across the street to Denny’s & my hangover was so bad that I did not drive the next day - even though by then my BAC was legal.
Point is - I have been where he was and it was not impossible to make the right choices…
As far as drunk people and judgement - how many times have you either been a total asshole or picked up or been picked up by a total asshole when drunk? Driving requires judgement - that is why my 12 year old daugher does not have her licence yet - despite the fact that she’s probably smarter than most of the people behind the wheel.
Sure Mr. Gagnon is a nice guy to some people, but to the surviving members of the Griffin family he is a selfish killer - period!
Anonymous - if Mile is such a wonderful person, why didn’t anybody say “You are too drunk - let me go for you” or “I will drive you”
Were you all too drunk?
Or is Mike an asshole at times and noone care what the whiney selfish soon to be a killer bastrard wanted this time?
Or are all such a bunch of selfish bastrds that you did not care about Mike (maybe hoping that he would hit a pole) or anyone else, caring only about your good time at the party?
There are people who found Hitler to be a nice guy as well.
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yeah i did britney and, i understand, HOW CAN YOU EVEN COMPARE HIM TO HITLER? you cant.
we didnt know he left, it was packed, we turned our head for a min, adn he was gone. we didnt say “hey MIKE see you later, oo wait heres one for the road” ARE YOU SERIOUSE!! PLEASE! we WOULD HAVE NEVER EVER EVER let him go, THATS WHY WE HAD ROOMS, if you are goin to use “REPORTS” get them straight adn dont use BIT ADN PIECES.
and your right let the living members of the Griffin decide his fate and punishment, they have and they have forgave him, as best as they can. the only people that can judge him is THAT family so everyone needs to come off thier god complex, because you all are not god.
“THOSE W/OUT SIN LET THEM CAST THE FIRST STONE…â€
agian god bless
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Griffin family member reply on March 26, 2008:
We havent forgiven him yet !
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I don’t remember anyone comparing him to Hitler.
the reports did say there were 3 rooms rented to the Gagnon family. the reports also said that the rooms were checked out Monday morning.
i give him credit, he swerved to avoid hitting the van, but instead side swiped it throwing the baby, and carseat and other children from the car.
oh and we know we’re not god. i couldn’t be. i’d beat the shit out of people like mike too often given the opportunity. and believe me i know i’m not without sin.
i’m a lesbian, ex-drug addict, who smokes cigarettes. i don’t take my sundays to do nothing unless it’s recouperating from the hangover the night before and i like to spend my money on strippers. oh and i used to have a stripper pole in my apartment. yes i know i’m not without sin, but i haven’t been so irresponsible as to drive while that intoxicated like Mike and well my father. at least my father didn’t kill anyone.
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oh i see the Hitler reference
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Mike’s family:
It wasn’t an accident.
Everyone:
People keep tossing around “God Bless” and “also a good Christian”.
Being a Christian doesn’t in and of itself make one any better, or worse, than anyone else. Driving drunk is a pretty big step in the ‘bad’ direction if you ask me.
Anonymous:
This is America. We have a constitutional right to throw stones.
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as someone who knows former alcholics I know he didn’t set out to kill anyone. It is a disease and unlike many of the POS that we’ve seen featured, he is far less of a monster than many others on this site. Having siad that, five people including four children are dead because of his actions and choices. He has to face the consquences for that and if it comes to having to do forty years in prison, than so be it. May god have mercy on his soul.
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Ah, I think I understand now. Because Michael was a “Christian” and a “good person” who made a “wrong decision” that automatically excuses what he did. Shame on the family of the deceased for wanting justice!
With the poor “logic” some of you have, it’s a wonder why there’s even laws against driving drunk, or any other crimes. Hell, as long as you’re a Christian, who gives a shit, right?
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Not too sure I care that Mr. DUI has ‘learned from this experience’. I try not to learn my life experiences at the expense of other people, especially dead children and moms. I also try not to give other people ‘learning experiences’ by my selfish actions… such as learning that people who drive drunk are assholes, as the father has been forced to learn.
Mr. DUI has not forever lost 4 children and his wife, so I have little pity for him.
____________
Rich-
“It wasn’t an accident.
People keep tossing around “God Bless†and “also a good Christianâ€.
Being a Christian doesn’t in and of itself make one any better, or worse, than anyone else. Driving drunk is a pretty big step in the ‘bad’ direction if you ask me.
This is America. We have a constitutional right to throw stones.
Great comments.
_______________
I personally am suspicious of the story that Mr. DUI was shitfaced drunk, but craved Taco Bell so badly that he swiped keys and then swiped out half a family.
Drunks are usually barfing, not jonesing for fast food… sounds more like he was suffering more from the MJ munchies, IYKWIM.
I think xianity has gotten so watered down that every Tom, Dick and Mr. DUI are automatically considered xians by default, no matter that their actions clearly prove they are not.
The only accident here is that the poor family weren’t delayed by a dirty diaper or something, so they’d miss this carbomb. But then, no doubt it would just have ended up with someone else dead instead, eh? Some other unlucky victim. Ever notice how the almost always kill the other passengers, but rarely die themselves?
c
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What a goddamn tragedy…(oh no i said the ‘god’ word) anyway, for those of you interested, the victim’s family has a memorial page set up (you can link from her myspace) were you can donate whatevee, if you’d like. Sorry i don’t remember what the actual url is, but i know you can use your paypal to send donations also, to “bethanyandtheangels@gmail.com”
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What a goddamn tragedy…(oh no i said the ‘god’ word) anyway, for those of you interested, the victim’s family has a memorial page set up (you can link from her myspace) were you can donate whatever, if you’d like. Sorry i don’t remember what the actual url is, but i know you can use your paypal to send donations also, to “bethanyandtheangels@gmail.com”
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glory…
i know lots of people who get the munchies when drunk. at least my friend does. i guess that’s just one person other than Mike. but my friend is a lame ass and doesn’t have a license and drive so he won’t be swiping any families out any time soon.
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does anybody else see a Richard Ramirez resemblence? it’s erky.
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They have the right idea in Canada:
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2008/01/04/bc-drivethrucops.htm
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There are two types of drunks:
Ones that will drive while intoxicated and ones who won’t. The ones who won’t drive after a single beer generally won’t drive after twenty beers either.
Not only does Gagnon fall into the latter category but he must be an idiot to boot. How do you drive 4 miles down the freeway in the wrong direction and not notice that something is amiss?
Drinking yourself to .24 BAC when you have a wife and kids at home already makes you an irrisponsible asshole regardless of how many designated drivers you have at your disposal. Many, many people have died from less drinking.
I just keep looking at the photo of that car seat in the road and I’m speechless. Gagnon is lucky the cops had enough restraint not to throw him into traffic to give him a taste of his own medicine and save us all the cost of prosecuting this waste of space.
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My intention was NOT to compare Mike to Hilter, but rather to show that even the worst POS *IS* likeable by someone.
And yes, Christinity is way watered down. By today’s version of Christainity Jesus Christ himself would be considered a rude trouble maker, to say the least!
Being Christain (to me) is *NOT* about being nice, it’s about being good and trying to do the right thing.
Christains, being individuals, will disagree on what the right thing is.
So Anaon - Mile grabbed the keys and slipped out. He did not ask permission. He knew that he was doing wrong, or atleast something that would piss one of you off. I suspect that he’s driven drunk before, or atleast buzzed as to have enough confidence as to plan to drive over 4 miles and use a highway as well.
While alcoholism is a disease, unlike cancer, if an alcoholic does NOTHING, (as in NOT drink) the worst thing that they have to deal with are cravings or the DT’s. A cancer victim doing nothing suffers and dies.
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whoa…. a lot of opinionated people out there… and a lot of harsh words for something that doesn’t even personally affect most of you….
a few said that they have “been sooo drunk before, yet they were able to make good decisions” (paraphrasing) but i have to disagree, perhaps you weren’t sooo drunk. have any of you blacked out before? alcohol shuts down your central nervous system, so if one were to drink sooo much (without dying from alcohol poisoning first) i guarantee that you would be zombified. you may be walking, and talking, but you’re not really there. i can say this from experience, as i’m sure many of you can as well, though you may not care to admit it. losing control is a frightening experience.
this whole thing is a tragic mistake, and nothing
more. there is no reason to point fingers. mr. gagnon made a grievous error, one that he will have to live with for the rest of his life.
my heart goes out to both families involved.
devil’s advocate (now i’m gonna look like an asshole): why was it that this family was unable to avoid collision? as in, if so many other individuals were able to avoid hitting mr. gagnon, and phone the police to let them know that this guy was driving like a jack-ass; was there something that perhaps may have distracted the driver of the van? there were 6 kids in this car, yes?
I KNOW THAT MR. GAGNON WAS DRUNK AND THE COLLISION WAS HIS FAULT.
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“one that he will have to live with for the rest of his life. ”
Um, yeah, that’s probably what has a few people miffed. That he has a ‘whole rest of his life’, since 5 other people do not, because of him.
And, you are wrong about it being the victim’s fault because they somehow were not able to get out of the drunk POS’s way.
It’s the victim’s fault because the dad was not a deadbeat, and was returning his kids after visitation. If he had just abandoned them like he should have, there would have been less children asleep in the van to be ‘distracting’ the driver. Sleeping children are annoying that way, eh?
It’s also their fault they weren’t richer so that they could have been driving a Hummer. Or flying in their private helicopter.
Gee, that looks pretty stupid when written down.
Putting salt instead of sugar into the batter when you’re making pancakes is a ‘mistake’.
Killing over half of someone’s family because you spent the day getting drunk in your cousin’s bar (where cops find drugs/needles in the filing cabinet…do xians usually spend all day partying and hanging with drug users?), then snagging your brother’s keys because getting a .99cent Chalupa is more important to you than avoiding slaughtering a man’s wife and kids….
Mistake? Not so much.
I’m glad you’re so kind as to allow your heart to go out to BOTH families. I seriously doubt that at least one of those families does not consider all of this to be just a sad, tragic mistake. I’m guessing they’d think it was something else altogether.
c
c
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from what some of the news reports stated the van was rounding a curve of some sort. poor kids
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I do not wish to respond to all the religious talk about this particular article. Instead, I would like to just say that for the first time on this site, I voted no to hell. Why??? Because as far as I know, this was not an evil man, just a stupid man, who made a stupid mistake that thousands of people do daily, including I’m sure many of you. I’m sure he didn’t think he was too drunk to drive, and he never intended on killing that poor family. He will live with this all his life thinking about those he killed. I just hope that he stops drinking at this point, and makes a positive change in his life.
And I do feel those children are definitly with God in Heaven.
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I’ve made some pretty big mistakes in my life, but I’m pretty sure I’ve never drove drunk and wiped out a family.
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To the Family of Michael Gagnon
I’ve read your grammatically incorrect and horribly inappropriate apologies.
“The sudden and devastating loss of such innocent lives, those that did not have the chance to make much of an impact upon those outside of the immediate family, is a loss of unbearable tolerance.”
I’ve read your claim that this was merely an “accident” or a bad “decision,” but I think you miss what this really was. I think you need to get this through your heads before another member of your clan kills someone like your brother Michael did.
This was not an accident. Not in the eyes of the law and not in the eyes of anyone else involved. Your brother has had more than a few problems with responsibility, hasn’t he?
He couldn’t pay his car insurance on time, yet he found plenty of time and money to drink. He had his license suspended, and be honest, the last time he drove drunk, you said nothing. His relationships, you looked the other way when he floundered around. His college grades, what were they like again? And he wanted to be an Architect? Seriously, how were his math grades?
Let me tell you about Bethany. Bethany was the sort of mother who worked, went to school to be a nurse and still found time to hand sew Lacie’s Mermaid Princess costume for Halloween. Her favorite food was Crab, and she could reel them in with net or string. She was a Ravens fan to distraction and she made purple cheerleading outfits for Lacie and Haley, as well as Ravens witch outfits for them when the big tailgate parties were on.
When I found out that everyone but Dan was asleep in the car, I sighed with a very small amount of relief. They never saw your brother kill them and their suffering was probably brief.
You talk about “standing by” Michael and where your prayers are, but you need to get off your knees for a moment and think about what really needs to be done. Michael should prepare a plea of guilty and ask for the maximum sentence possible. It will save Dan, Jodie and Jack all of the trouble of coming to his trials and sentencing. Perhaps Michael can write a book in prison that will help keep drunk drivers off the road. Who knows, he might find some sort of useful thing to do in lock up that he never would have found drinking and taking steroids(that’s what human growth hormone is used for) at your cousin’s bar.
But to weigh his life against those of Haley, Lacie, Jordan and Vadie, simply because they’re young? To measure Michael against Bethany? Learn from his mistakes and repeat after me.
“This was not an accident; this was entirely Michael’s fault. He committed 5 murders, as surely as if he had pointed a gun at the horizon, fired randomly and killed five people. Michael should plea guilty and save these families a great deal of pain and suffering.”
Perhaps your entire family should take a lesson in responsibility and where it should be placed.
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Mother reply on April 5, 2008:
Get a life jason,everyone knows about you!!!
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Jason reply on April 6, 2008:
Knows what about me?
That I’m a Computer Programmer in North Carolina, was a friend of Bethany and Dan’s?
Have the facts on your son?
Precisely what is it you think should make me ashamed of who “I” am?
If this really is Clara Gagnon your focus should be on slowing down the effect Alcohol, Marijuana, and Clenbuterol have on your own family and by extension the people they kill with their use.
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Yes I heard about this terrible incident all the way over the other side of the world. No I will not call this an accident as it is not an accident.
To Mikes family member was it an accident that his brother allowed him to take the keys to his truck?
Was it an accident that his pregnant sister (how would she feel having her baby leave the life it was just brought into) didn’t take all the keys to all the vehicles of all the people who were drinking that night.
Was it an accident that Mikes cousin allowed him to get so drunk but not provide food in a Bar & Grill to prevent the need to go and get food.
As far as I am concerned everyone of Mikes family who was at that bar and the people serving the alcohol at the bar should be charged as an accessory to murder.
If you know you are going to party til you are that drunk (obviously you knew when you booked 3 rooms of the adjacent hotel) Then the keys should have been removed from every person who walked through that door as they walked through that door or made to hand over their keys with payment of or in exchange of their first alcoholic beverage.
How do people not know that someone has taken your keys and walked out of a bar? The excuse the bar was too crowded is lame surely there is a legal limit to the amount of patrons. I am guessing the pregnant sister was too tired and the stupid ass brother handed over his keys to the moron mike.
There is absolutely NO EXCUSE for what this Moronic asshole did. This was no accident he made the choice to leave that bar. He made the choice to get in that car. He made the choice to drive drunk. He made the choice to go down the off ramp. He made the choice to continue travelling the wrong way. As someone else said he had 4miles to realise that it wasn’t the other drivers going the wrong way. He made the choice not to pull over and turn the car around. See NO ACCIDENT all choices. This Guy deserves life sentences for every life he took by choice. Every person involved the designated driver, the owners of the bar, the brother, the family who were so negligent the did not notice he left, the people who served this asshole so much alcohol he was 3 times the American legal Limit & 5 times the Australian legal limit all deserve the minimum penalty as I believe they were as much as fault as he was.
Would be very interested to hear the answers to my questions Mikes Relative. You seem to make a lot of excuses for this moron but how bout some answers as to how this was allowed. When his sisters baby is born ask her how she would feel if someone like her brother were to come along & take that precious life from her & next time she may just consider to get off her fat pregnant ass & do the job she was assigned to do.
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I also believe that this asshole should be tortured for everyone of the innocent lives he so senselessly took. I personally would love to carve everyone of the victims name in to a part of his body and have him suffer through every cut.
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Mother reply on April 5, 2008:
The Judge will be reading this,careful,talking about cutting a person up,sounds like murder to me
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I am a close friend of the people that died at the hands of the drunk driver.
To the sister: SHUT UP. We don’t want your lame apology, we don’t care who he is. It means NOTHING. You and your friends are enablers. He was responsible for the crash. You are responsible for him having keys in his pocket. What kind of people would let that happen?
YOU MAKE ME SICK.
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Mother reply on April 5, 2008:
Guess what,we all now about you too,and you are not a family,so know one cares about your comments.The Lord knows eveyones heart,so remember that!!!!!!!!
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Dino reply on April 6, 2008:
Everyone cares about common sense, which you are clearly lacking. Living in denial must bode really well for you and your family. How is that working out for all of you?
Keep praying, you’ll need it. Do some good with what you have left of your pathetic life. Instead of enabling and preaching stupid why don’t you join M.A.D.D.? You could then speak the truth on how your kind enables death and work against. Your God will then ultimately save you. For your son, you should work towards something productive rather than scouring the internet trying to defend a wrong.
For the record, you wouldnt know “family” if it bit you in the ass.
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Jason-
I think you’ve said it better than anyone else could.
c
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hey GloryHole, never heard the term devil’s advocate before? great job missing my point.
Jason - “This was not an accident. Not in the eyes of the law….”
wrong, it was. that’s why he will be charged with vehicular MANSLAUGHTER. it’s tragic, yes; but this was not premeditated. he will be tried by the state, and the family of the victims need not be there. if they press civil charges, then yes, but not otherwise.
if this bothers you, then i suggest you write to the governor ohio and/or it’s state representatives to change the current law.
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Just by looking at Sam’s myspace, you can see how white trash their family and circle of friends really are. Fuck that piece of shit Mike and fuck his fucking family. I could care the fuck less what the Gagnon family is going through at this time, beacause all those ’statements’ coming from them seem a bit too unauthentic.
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Only god can judge.
Everything happens for a reason, and it is not ANY of our places to put judgment on someone who is no better than we are ourselves.
My heart goes out to BOTH families.
How many people do YOU know that has drove drunk? Gotten into a drunken accident, or an accident of any kind under some substance?! How many people do YOU know that has died from drunk drivers?
Stay strong.
We will always love you back home.
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Some Gal - “wrong, it was. that’s why he will be charged with vehicular MANSLAUGHTER. it’s tragic, yes; but this was not premeditated. he will be tried by the state, and the family of the victims “need not be there. if they press civil charges, then yes, but not otherwise.
if this bothers you, then i suggest you write to the governor ohio and/or it’s state representatives to change the current law.”
“(A) No person, while operating or participating in the operation of a motor vehicle, motorcycle, snowmobile, locomotive, watercraft, or aircraft, shall cause the death of another or the unlawful termination of another’s pregnancy in any of the following ways:
(1)(a) As the proximate result of committing a violation of division (A) of section 4511.19 of the Revised Code or of a substantially equivalent municipal ordinance;”
http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/2903.06
and
(A)(1) No person shall operate any vehicle, streetcar, or trackless trolley within this state, if, at the time of the operation, any of the following apply:
(a) The person is under the influence of alcohol, a drug of abuse, or a combination of them.”
http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/4511.19
It makes the crime 1st degree Aggravated Vehicular Manslaughter, which is by absolute definition under Ohio State Law, premeditated. Do you see the word Accident there? Nope… the reason why is because Accidents are lesser charges.
I’m a computer programmer in real life, but I was and still am a friend to Bethany and Dan until the day I die. I’m not a lawyer, but I am an American citizen with as much right and responsibility to read the laws of the states I work in and visit.
I don’t need to write to the Ohio State legislature to get the laws changed, they already changed them in 2002 and again in 2005 because murderers like Gagnon kept on killing people in their state.
Drunk Driving is not an accident. It is machismo garbage, wrapped up in a defiance of law, alongside a self-destructive side that usually takes lives with it.
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-Sarah R
“How many people do YOU know that has drove drunk? Gotten into a drunken accident, or an accident of any kind under some substance?! How many people do YOU know that has died from drunk drivers?”
Judging from your sentence structure, you may in fact be a member of the family or more specifically the sister, who has across the internet been defending your brother with these religious quotes.
Our legal code, despite opposition in Congress by some, remains a secular establishment of rules that protect us from people in this world, not the next. Many who fight the inclusion of “Under God,” and the establishment of 10 commandment monuments in legal halls, don’t do it because they are Godless heathens, but because it would open juries to hearing defenses based solely on “Only God can judge.”
Luckily, our juries can be protected from this tripe for a little bit longer. Christ did not free the thieves he was crucified with, he tried very hard to convert them. The application of law was not his justice, but a postmortem that saves the immortal. Perhaps you have already heard from Michael’s lawyer that you should rush to his defense and stand strong, but what you’re doing is defending his crime, not merely the person and that is not right.
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Jason, I am forced to agree with much of what you have written.
Dismissing the crime as ‘a mistake’ does nothing so much as devalue the lives of the victims, which further infuriates those of us who are friends of the Griffin family.
Mr. Gagnon made a series of choices that led to him (a) committing a crime and (b) as a consequence of that crime, killing our friends. No amount of “He’s really devastated.” or “He’s really a good guy.” is going to alter that.
When he is sentenced to prison, as well he should be, his family will have yet another excuse to hold yet another alcohol splashed gathering and lament about how “Life’s not fair!”.
As an ex-cop and a former judge, I agree, life isn’t fair. If life were fair, our friends would still be alive despite Mr. Gagnon’s miserable choices of that evening, he and the hundreds of other drunken drivers would injure none but themselves, but, sadly, that isn’t the case, is it?
And Abi? You’re scary….
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Someone wrote about the fact that Gagnon got 4 miles down the highway before he hit the Griffin family. A good question was posed - the fact that other people were able to avoid Gagnon.
Maybe someone was ahead of Griffin and this person avoided Gagnon, but unfortunately for Griffin, maybe he saw Gagnon too late as a result.
Maybe Griffin would have gotten by Gagnon if Gagnon did not try to avoid the accident as well, if one went to his left and the other went to his right, the evassive actions of both put them on a second colision course (when I am looking at you and you at me, my left is your right) with no time for a redo
Someone mentioned a curve - many of the curves on the highways can look deceptive at night, so I look atthe lines in the road to verify that the road is curving verses a colisin coarse with a wrong way driver
Also wrong way drivers are so rare that maybe it took Griffin a few too many seconds to register what was really happening (esp if there is a curve involved)
I hope that the Gagnon family’s bar is SHUT DOWN! I hope that they find new jobs in which they have no authority or respnsibility for the health or safety of any breathing being. Let them grow corn - to me the real thing that they are most sorry about is the fact that they know that they are liable for what happened and know that their future as a bunch of drunks with theur own bar is in jepardy.
Thus blaming Dan Griffin makes about as much sense to me as blaming the people who were located in floors above the point of impact in the North Tower of the Trade Center for their own deaths. Wrong place, wrong time
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I’ve read over these post and I would just like to point out a few things. I have a very close circle of friends. We normally go out once a week and get pretty drunk. Everyone either works or goes to school during the week, so on Fridays or Saturdays we all get together, complain and drink lots of alcohol. This has been a ritual for almost a year. We have never, not once, got behind the wheel after drinking, and we have never not once gotten into a car with someone that had been drinking. We designate a driver, or we call a cab. And our driver, always..always..takes away keys. And our favorite bar is always packed, and if I see one person missing from our little group, I am immediately searching. That’s the honest to goodness truth. We take care of each other. I don’t blame Mike’s family for what happened, because if Mike was supposed to be “so responsible” he wouldn’t need someone to baby sit him, right? WRONG! He did need someone to hold his hand and tell him he couldn’t leave. Doesnt sound like a very responsible person to me. And as I said before, I get pretty drunk, and I still know never to get behind the wheel. Never. Oh and..an accident is when a sober person gets into a car crash and kills someone, this wasn’t an accident. This was a choice. A choice that Mike made himself.
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Jason-
Wow you touch on a LOT of really good points. It’s needed. You know fact and bring a lot of common sense like a few of us; yet at the same time don’t blast the internet with religious words. Some things that are left out from the illiterate human beings on this site who seemingly and constantly defend these POS like Michael.
On the other hand as far as the bar being closed: I’m sure that if it’s not closed it will be losing a lot of business over this. I mean a LOT.
I’m sure he’s going to have civil lawsuits, but the county might need to be careful to. 26 minutes is a lot of time to respond to a call like this. I mean 4 miles and it took them 26 minutes. I know that (if I was family) after I was done dealing with Michael and a civil suit with family pictures all over the court room I would probably see my chances at something towards the county/state. I’m sure how it would go but I would do it in a heartbeat.
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Jason- thanks for the info, but you need to separate your emotion from your logic. yes, ohio law is very strict in its OVI/DUI law, but what mr. gagnon will officially be convicted of (perhaps i should not have said charged before) depends on how stringently the court responds to his case.
“Impairment due to alcohol or other drugs may be used as a partial defense. This occurs if the defendant is charged with murder or voluntary manslaughter and the defendant’s impairment level is so high that it affects the defendant’s intent to kill. When this happens, murder and voluntary manslaughter may be mitigated to a lesser crime, like involuntary manslaughter or criminally negligent homicide.”
http://definitions.uslegal.com/v/vehicular-homicide/
as this case has been reported on a global scale, i believe that the court will be under close scrutiny, and will impose its full authority (as well it should), but one cannot deny that mr. gagnon was over three times the legal limit, and by all means, was out of his mind.
to touch on the infamy of this incident once more; if mr. gagnon had slammed into a van of mexican migrant workers, or a convict transfer, he would hardly have received this much attention. the fact that he destroyed a family is what made this a media sensation - this being said, why should one person’s life be more precious or valuable than another’s?
Ron B - “his family will have yet another excuse to hold yet another alcohol splashed gathering….”
a former cop and judge, eh? would hate to have been in your court. i’m sure you’ve seen allot of dirt bags in your day, but that is no reason to make presuppositions. his family was holding a new years party, correct? as i reckon, those such gatherings are fairly commonplace in this country.
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Some Gal-
I’ll assume you just made a typo in your classy response to me.
When my sons pissed their pants when they were little, it was an ‘accident’. This was not. Nice try, though.
If this gets off on ‘manslaughter’, it’s still manslaughter, otherwise it would be called ‘3rd degree accident’, or something like that.
If it was really an ‘accident’, that would be something like…… he was not drunk, he was driving the speed limit, and his brakes failed through no fault of his own. Then, no matter how many people he killed, he would not face any charges, because it would have been an accident.
The fact that Mr.