A car driven by an intoxicated individual is as lethal a weapon as a loaded gun. If someone had randomly shot and killed U.S. Navy Ensign Carrie Shoemaker instead of striking her with a speeding pickup, he could have been charged and tried for murder. If proven guilty he could have received a maximum sentence for such a heinous crime. At the time of the accident on Broadway, the driver had an alleged blood-alcohol reading of three times the legal limit when he allegedly struck the victim and fled the scene. Instead of murder, the mishap is simply referred to as a hit-and-run death. If convicted, the driver could spend more than three years in prison, according to the Jan. 25 Herald article, “Man to be charged in death of ensign.”
Isn’t it time for the Legislature to revise and substantially increase the penalties for DUI drivers? How many unnecessary tragic deaths will it take before vehicular homicide is recognized as murder and the criminal convicted and sentenced for the appropriate crime?
Woodway
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