On May 4, we buried my granddaughter Georgia Kasey Pemberton. She was killed April 27, in Edmonds by a person allegedly driving in a fit of rage with a third car. Investigators say he was trying to pass the other driver by going across the double yellow line and collided head-on into my granddaughter’s car.
Georgia and her date had just left their prom and were wearing seat belts and had air bags for protection. Georgia died instantly, they say. She was a warm, wonderful, bright, beautiful girl and we will all miss her terribly.
Automobiles are the largest weapons civilians can get their hands on. In the wrong hands – angry, bitter drunk, drugged, hateful, late, mean, sleepy, speeding and just plain showoffs – cars can be killers. You see people putting on make-up, talking on the phone, having pets in their laps, even reading books, letters and maps. Please, people – when you are driving your vehicles, do just that – drive. Be courteous, tolerant, patient, kind and even forgiving. Everything else can really wait. If you should find yourself in an altercation with another driver, accidentally or not, mouth to them that “you’re sorry” or cover your mouth as if to say oops, I made a mistake! You do not want to make the situation any worse. Think – in the blink of an eye you could be killing someone very precious to someone else, maybe even someone you know. If you have lost someone close to you, you know the kind of pain and sorrow Georgia’s family and friends are feeling. Please drive safely.
It looks like any conviction might result in less than a two-year prison sentence even though the defendant has a lengthy bad-driving record. We feel that the penalty should fit the crime. With his past driving history, he should never have been allowed to have a license to drive. Our aim is to lengthen the jail time for road rage accidents/killings. I believe he should get at least 16 years; that’s all Georgia got. Also, we need to get signs on the roads that remind people about road rage, just as they have done with drinking and driving, speeding and littering. This problem just isn’t going to go away by itself. We the people have to make it happen or it will continue to grow.
Edmonds
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