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Johnny Gaudreau and brother Matthew tragically killed in accident

Zee

Zee

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https://www.dispatch.com/story/sports/nhl/columbus-blue-jackets/2024/08/30/columbus-blue-jackets-johnny-gaudreau-dead-bike-accident-crashnew-jersey-calgary-flamesnhl/75009208007/

https://twitter.com/BlueJacketsNHL/status/1829481858968535120

Terrible, terrible story. Love goes out to all the family and friends affected. RIP
 
ABC News: NHL player Johnny Gaudreau, brother Matthew killed after being struck by suspected drunk driver

Police say the driver who struck the brothers is suspected of being under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash.
....
Johnny, 31, and Matthew, 29, were traveling north on County Route 551, close to the line on the side of the roadway.

Police say 43-year-old Sean M. Higgins, of Woodstown, New Jersey, was traveling north on County Route 551 in a Jeep Grand Cherokee when he allegedly attempted to pass a slower-moving sedan and SUV.

Police say Higgins entered the southbound lanes of the roadway, and passed the sedan.

When he attempted to reenter the northbound lanes, police say the SUV in front of him moved into the middle of the roadway, splitting the north and south lanes in order to safely pass two bicyclists on the right side of the road.

Higgins then attempted to pass the SUV on the right and struck the Gaudreau brothers from behind, troopers said.

The Gaudreau brothers died from their injuries, according to state police.
Click to expand...
 
I saw all the twitter stuff last night of course and went to bed really, really, really hoping that those were just a-holes spreading false information. Checked for news immediately when I woke up around 7am and there was still nothing official one way or another which did not seem like a good sign. Obviously official word came shortly after that. Just a horrific accident. Him and his brother. With his sisters wedding today. Can't even imagine.
 
My son texted me this AM so when I woke up I found the message Don't look at the NHL news.  Its just a horrifically terrible tragedy. My heart goes out to his family and friends. What a waste of two lives. 
 
L K said:
Of course the waste of existence drunk driver survived
Click to expand...

They really don't get the punishment they deserve most of the time. Really hope they throw the book at him and make tougher laws for drunk driving.
 
The fact they?re hockey players doesn?t register with me as much as the fact they?re two young men with (or soon to have) young children and there is nothing that makes it fair on those kids to have to grow up without one of their parents. Just horrible.
 
It just drives me nuts that no matter how many times something like this can just devastate entire families, entire communities even, and people still get behind the wheel after drinking. Things like Uber make not doing something so criminally stupid easier than ever and there are still idiots who think they're the magic exception.

Throwing this one guy in jail might be cathartic but what there really needs to be are harsher penalties for this even when nobody is hurt. It's akin to firing a gun into a crowd and should be treated as such.
 
supposedly this bastedo complained when he found he would be spending till Thursday in jail...like it was ruining his labour day weekend. I wish we could lock him up with this tude and throw away the key. I know a schoolmate in my younger day who killed a guy driving drunk and his attitude was smug, like he didn't do anything wrong. He in those days had nothing done do him.
I totally agree with Nik on this, treat every case, even with no injuries with instant cancellation of driving rights.
 
Nik said:
It just drives me nuts that no matter how many times something like this can just devastate entire families, entire communities even, and people still get behind the wheel after drinking. Things like Uber make not doing something so criminally stupid easier than ever and there are still idiots who think they're the magic exception.

Throwing this one guy in jail might be cathartic but what there really needs to be are harsher penalties for this even when nobody is hurt. It's akin to firing a gun into a crowd and should be treated as such.
Click to expand...

Oh absolutely.  I live in a pretty rural area in SW Ontario.  We have garbage transportation options.  Taxis that are 50/50 on whether they will run at all and most of them aren't willing to go 45 minutes out of their way or get a friend to drive you. It absolutely leads to an unreasonable amount of drunk driving and its beyond frustrating.  There is no Uber/Lyft options. 

Harsher punishment from the get go is absolutely essential to curb it.  I think a lot of people will look at this case and if there is harsh punishment (I think New Jersey is actually pretty reasonable for potential sentencing for DD) but just blame it on optics because it was a celebrity that was killed.
 
I had two school friends killed via impaired driver on the last day of high school.
One of the victims, a passenger, I thought he was the nicest kid I ever went to school with. I had offered him a ride home. He decided to stay longer. The day before, our English teacher suggested school reunions might be something to avoid because some of us won't be around to attend them. This nice boy sat behind me in that class and was dead the next night. It remains the most difficult funeral I have ever attended. Some people were so distraught, they had to be carried out of the church. Decades later, memories of the horror are so vivid, it is like it happened yesterday. You never get over it. You have to learn to live with it.

I knew the driver. He was one of the people who had to be carried out of the church. He never got over it. But he never spent time in jail. This was before MADD was formed. Society had not caught on and acted yet. I don't think the victims? families wanted his life ruined any more than it was.

Saw a recent case in the US where a driver high on drugs and impaired killed two people. He got 32 years.

The Gaudreaus were very popular and killed close to their family's hometown. Their family and friends are probably going to want to see justice is done.

The police report notes that the driver admitted to drinking 5-6 beers before. They also found open alcohol in the vehicle. The driver admitted the alcohol affected his judgement or patience to conclude trying to pass the van in front because he wrongly perceived the van was blocking him in the center of the road as it was passing the cyclists. The police allege he failed a sobriety test at the scene.

Photos of the accident scene show a lot of police cars. In court, the judge reminded him of his rights. He had a public defender and the judge told him how he could arrange for his own lawyer. So, it is less likely they made a procedural error in handling him - one of the few ways he could get off. He was disappointed that he had to stay in jail over the weekend (like he kind of didn't get the full impact of what he'd done).

Beyond two second degree vehicular homicide charges, he was also cited for driving while intoxicated, reckless driving, possession of an open container, improper passing and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle. They have witnesses.

Another way a driver might be able to get off would be if they were not at fault. Passing on the right, his admission that "Higgins told investigators that his consumption of alcohol contributed to his impatience and reckless driving" and the fact that the two cyclists were hit from behind while in the right place along the shoulder of the road makes that claim very unlikely.

Both cyclists died at the scene so it is hard for him to try to blame medical treatment.

About the only thing it seems he could realistically hope for is the blood alcohol doesn't show he was impaired or was somehow technically flawed. But that probably only prevents the vehicular homicide charges from being elevated to first degree.

There is no guarantee in court cases. But the heavy odds seem to be that this driver is going to get a bunch of jail time to think about what he did.
 
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