Pickup driver jailed in wrong-way crash that killed 5 family members

[Faygo Kid]

Source: Toledo Blade

An Adrian man was booked late Monday in the Lucas County jail on five counts of aggravated vehicular homicide after he was involved in an I-280 crash that killed five members of a Maryland family — including an 8-week-old girl.

Police said Michael Gagnon, 24, drove I-280 in the wrong direction for nearly four miles before his pickup truck collided Sunday night with a minivan carrying a family home after a holiday trip.

A mother and her four children were killed in the crash about 10:55 p.m. on Sunday near the Manhattan Boulevard overpass of I-280. Mr. Gagnon's pickup was traveling north in the southbound lanes of I-280 just south of I-75, police said.

Tests on Monday revealed that Mr. Gagnon's blood-alcohol level was 0.254 percent, more than three times the legal limit of 0.08 percent



Read more: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071231/NEWS01/712310412

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Here is how it broke down: Police identified the dead as Bethany Griffin, 36, Jordan Griffin, 10, Vadi Griffin, 8 weeks, all of Parkville, Md., near Baltimore; Lacie Burkman, 7, and Haley Burkman, 10, both of Redford Township, near Detroit.

Danny Griffin, Jr., 36, of Parkville, Md., the driver of the van, was in serious condition on Monday. His surviving passengers were, Sidney Griffin, 8, also of Parkville, who was listed in critical condition, and Beu Burkman, 8, whose address was not available, and who was listed in serious condition.

As far as Mr. Gagnon, he suffered a minor jaw injury and was released and booked. His maximum penalty? Eight years in jail.

EVERYBODY DRIVE SAFELY TONIGHT. And say a small prayer for this family and those who care about them.

[DS1]

1. f-350 vs minivan. Terrible odds, the bumper on that truck is right about head level

Eight years isn't enough. Maybe a year in jail for every year the dead lived. 63

[fenriswolf]

5. how about a year in jail

for every year each person will not get to the average life expectancy of each individual, has a much better poetic justice feel to it.

[DS1]

7. yeah i thought about that

but 63, no parole. nobody survives that anyway.

[geiger]

12. u r right

[liberalnurse]

19. Thirty years ago....drunk drivers

with vehicular homicide only got a ticket.O8)

[napi21]

2. God bless those who died! You know, a driver was arrested here in Atlanta

about 2 weeks ago for DRIVING THE WRONG WAY on Interstate 85. It was about 5:30AM and they had traveled over 5 miles before they collided head-on with another vehicle. AFAIK there was no alcohol involved in that one, just a damn stupid driver!

[RamboLiberal]

3. I'm sick of these drunken bastards killing innocent victims

A case over the summer in Morgantown, WV on a stretch of I-68.

Brian J. Stone, 32. The problems include at least seven drunken driving arrests -- five in West Virginia and two in Pennsylvania -- in the past five years. Brian Stone hasn't had a valid West Virginia driver's license for more than three years because it was revoked after his second drunken driving arrest in Monongalia County.

This is his third DUI arrest in four months. Before the Sunday night crash, Brian Stone was awaiting hearings in Uniontown and Morgantown on DUI charges.

Though he lives with his parents in Cheat Lake, Brian Stone has maintained a mailing address in Gans, Fayette County, for his Pennsylvania driver's license.

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Investigators from the Monongalia County sheriff's department say Mr. Stone was driving a Ford pickup truck east on I-68 about 10:30 p.m. when his vehicle ran into the back of a Ford Taurus. The collision caused the driver of the Taurus to lose control and cross the median into the westbound lanes, where it struck head on a Chevy TrailBlazer with seven people inside.

Five people died at the scene -- an adult and a child inside the Taurus and an adult and two children inside the TrailBlazer. Six occupants of the two vehicles were hospitalized at Morgantown hospitals, three of them in critical condition.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07191/800601-85.stm

They are murderers and deserve to serve very long sentences. I have no mercy for these jerks like these two cases!

[Faygo Kid]

4. They are killers. Everyone be extra cautious tonight.

This wasn't posted just to be a lesson - I think it's one of the saddest stories of the year, on a personal level. Children's presents and wrapping paper blowing down a closed I-280. Not much I can add to that image.

[RamboLiberal]

6. You gotta be cautious any time of the day or night

A friend I work with lost several cousins in a fiery crash on an HOV lane many years ago because a stupid PENNDOT worker high on drugs didn't do his job properly by making sure the HOV gates were closed inbound before opening the gates for outbound traffic.

And I've seen drunks bouncing off the curbs in broad daylight.

[theHandpuppet]

8. Amen! Thousands of innocents killed every year by drunk drivers

And too often the drunk survives.

Mandatory prison terms for drunk drivers. NO EXCEPTIONS.

[tomreedtoon]

14. They should get the same treatment as...Mel Gibson.

Who also drove drunk and could have killed someone. Give them national publicity and a play-or-pay deal for a movie. No sense being hypocritical about the differences between celebrities and ordinary drunks.

[MindPilot]

9. And an excellent example of why our DUI laws are ineffective

While the cops are busy with checkpoints arresting people who've had two glasses of wine with dinner or a couple beers at the game, these shitheads with multiple convictions are driving around at twice and thrice the limit killing people.

[Thothmes]

17. Two glasses of wine, couple of beers

is sufficient to impare a drivers abilities behind the steering wheel of an automobile. I suspect that diligent research would find that these type of folks cause more DUI deaths than the good old boy that belted back a liter of Jim Bean.

[pansypoo53219]

10. in some cases,

i think LIFE would be appropriate.

[MindPilot]

11. Yeah, after your fourth or fifth 502 you really need to be kept away from

booze or cars. And jail might be the only way to do that.

[CranialRectaLoopbak]

13. Drinking and Driving

Three strikes and you're out! I think 5 dead should count as 5 strikes.

[Sultana]

15. So sad

Why is it that the drinking & driving perpetrator also survive these accidents and their victims do not. :-(

R.I.P those who have pasted, those still fighting for the lives I wish them a speedy recovery and condolences to their families.

[Kolesar]

16. Michigan drivers are aggressive drivers

I recall drivers zooming past everybody else on the Ohio Turnpike. I would look to see if they had the characteristic "Michigan blue" license plate. They often did. Ohio is notorious for speed traps, so Ohio motorists have always driven more sensibly.

[theHandpuppet]

18. 36,000 Ohio drivers have five or more drunken-driving arrests

More than 36,000 Ohio drivers have five or more drunken-driving arrests. Just how many does it take before these repeat offenders and potential killers find themselves behind bars?

And to think, those are just the ones who are caught 5 or more times! Unfortunately many of them aren't caught until it's too late -- and more innocent victims become a statistic.