Bartender Arrested For DUI Fatality 2 Years Later

Yeh, I understand wanting to curb drunk driving as much as possible but it is still the drunk driver who voluntarily walked into a bar, drove, crashed and killed a person. People on both sides love it because victims get more payback and actual drunk driver get another excuse.

I will say if a person is obviously drunk they should not be served period, not just because they might drive but because their health is in danger at that point.
 

Until/unless DUI laws begin to "really" be enforced, drunk drivers will remain a constant menace on the highways. It seems that nearly every time there is a drunk driver fatality, that driver has a long history of DUI. Fines and loss of license is not much of a deterrent. If a drunk injures another person, he should be charged with Assault, and if it results in a death, the charge should be Manslaughter, or 2nd degree murder...AND they should have their assets seized to pay for their jail time.
 
Don M. said:
Until/unless DUI laws begin to "really" be enforced, drunk drivers will remain a constant menace on the highways. It seems that nearly every time there is a drunk driver fatality, that driver has a long history of DUI. Fines and loss of license is not much of a deterrent. If a drunk injures another person, he should be charged with Assault, and if it results in a death, the charge should be Manslaughter, or 2nd degree murder...AND they should have their assets seized to pay for their jail time.
Click to expand...

Oh I agree that the DRUNK should be held responsible. I don't agree that the bartender (or anyone other than the drunk) should be charged.
 
I know it stinks, but the drunk is impaired and cannot make a rational decision even if he/she wanted to. This has been the law in CT for as long as I can remember.

So it does fall to the barkeep to make sure the business is conducted safely, and I think classes are required for the liquor license, But like Falcon said, it's rough in a busy bar.

Then the obnoxious drunk harassing a server, she/he going to serve rather than go through the grief. Sometimes the drunker the customer the bigger the tip. Lots of reasons holding the barkeep responsible doesn't work.

What makes me angry is the Happy Hour specials, everyone in there is getting tanked cause its cheaper, then gets in their cars to go home, driving drunk. The police won't pull them over when they see because it's bad for local businesses.
 
The police won't pull them over when they see because it's bad for local businesses.
Click to expand...

I think that's a ridiculous assumption, Radishrose, and have to wonder what it's based on. In my community, police are out there continuously, and particularly on weekend evenings, pulling over every car on the road, spot checking, conducting tests. My (very sober!) daughter and I were on our way back from a restaurant a few months ago, when she was pulled over, along with every other car in sight. She had to get out of the car and take a breathalyzer test, walk a straight line, etc. She's a very responsible, law-abiding type, and was embarrassed to death.

Some communities might have police departments corrupt enough to do what you are suggesting, but I doubt that this accusation is true of most of them, and very unfair to the police.
 
RadishRose said:
The police won't pull them over when they see because it's bad for local businesses.
Click to expand...

That seems to be the case where I live for drunk driving and many other crimes.

The police appear to be keeping a lid on a bubbling pot but not actively fighting crime on a daily basis. It amazes me when they do become part of a joint task force with state and federal grants that they seem to be able to arrest hundreds of people and overwhelm the court system for a few months but they can't seem to make slow and steady progress on a day to day basis.
 
Sunny said:
I think that's a ridiculous assumption, Radishrose, and have to wonder what it's based on. In my community, police are out there continuously, and particularly on weekend evenings, pulling over every car on the road, spot checking, conducting tests. My (very sober!) daughter and I were on our way back from a restaurant a few months ago, when she was pulled over, along with every other car in sight. She had to get out of the car and take a breathalyzer test, walk a straight line, etc. She's a very responsible, law-abiding type, and was embarrassed to death.

Some communities might have police departments corrupt enough to do what you are suggesting, but I doubt that this accusation is true of most of them, and very unfair to the police.
Click to expand...

Ridiculous or not Sunny, it's not my assumption, nor my accusation- this was told to me by several police officers while explaining that yes, they can sit across the street and pull over a car who has just driven away from the bar and pinch the customer.

So your police dept pulls over "every car on the road"? That's very admirable. They must be all lined up across the street from every bar in town after happy hour and bar closing time.
 
I have to say I agree with..........

" I find this absurd. What on earth happened to PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY in this country?? Why is it always someone else's fault? :mad:"
 
RadishRose said:
Ridiculous or not Sunny, it's not my assumption, nor my accusation- this was told to me by several police officers while explaining that yes, they can sit across the street and pull over a car who has just driven away from the bar and pinch the customer.

So your police dept pulls over "every car on the road"? That's very admirable. They must be all lined up across the street from every bar in town after happy hour and bar closing time.
Click to expand...

Exactly. Plus, there aren't enough LEOs in all of Harris County to "police" the bars here at 2 a.m.
 
So your police dept pulls over "every car on the road"? That's very admirable. They must be all lined up across the street from every bar in town after happy hour and bar closing time.
Click to expand...

Radish, they were not parked particularly close to the bars. They blocked off all the traffic going up Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda, a busy road that has a lot of restaurants. Every driver had to pull over. This kind of inspection is very common here on weekend evenings.

The female police officer who pulled us over was very serious and professional about her job. She seemed pretty apologetic about it when she saw the effect it was having on my daughter (the driver), but she still made her do the tests before letting us continue on.


Of course, there are always corrupt politicians and police officers. But suggesting that the bar owners' Happy Hour revenues are the controlling factor is really very unfair. I think the problem goes beyond that. Maybe the institution of "happy hour" is itself to blame. People are being tempted and encouraged to drink too much.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top