MicroWaveJul 11, 2024

Drunken driver who snapped photo going 141 mph before deadly collision imprisoned for 17 years

https://lemmy.world/post/17446339

Drunken driver who snapped photo going 141 mph before deadly collision imprisoned for 17 years - Lemmy.World

Darryl Anderson was drunk behind the wheel of his Audi SUV, had his accelerator pressed to the floor and was barreling toward a car ahead of him when he snapped a photo of his speedometer. The picture showed a car in the foreground, a collision warning light on his dashboard and a speed of 141 mph (227 kph). An instant later, he slammed into the car in the photo. The driver, Shalorna Warner, was not seriously injured but her 8-month-old son and her sister were killed instantly, authorities said. Evidence showed Anderson never braked.  Anderson, 38, was sentenced Tuesday to 17 years in prison for the May 31 crash in northern England that killed little Zackary Blades and Karlene Warner. Anderson pleaded guilty last week in Durham Crown Court to two counts of causing death by dangerous driving.

Show threadGreenBottlesJul 12, 2024
Bad drivers need harsher punishments if you ask me.
Show threadTodd BonzalezJul 12, 2024

17 years is a seriously life-altering prison sentence sentence.

Quite frankly, this flavor of irresponsibility can be corrected in just a few years time, you just need a justice system that’s interested in correction rather than punishment.

Kinda hard to accomplish when you have people cheering from the sidelines for more punishment…

Show threadTheHarpyEagleJul 12, 2024
I get it, but also when I think about if that happened to my sister, let alone my child, no amount of time would be enough. 2 years for ripping two people out of your life just doesn’t feel like enough. How do you separate the emotion from the practicality?
Show threadTodd BonzalezJul 12, 2024

With all due respect, the justice system shouldn’t exist for you to experience vengeance. It’s easy to get angry and to wish harm against people who would hurt our loved ones, but at scale we just end up with a punitive justice system that begets even more violence and misery.

If a person can be reformed after committing a profound injustice to the point where we can trust that they won’t repeat their crimes, why would we want their sentence to be lengthy and cruel when it could instead be compassionate and effective?

Forgiveness is a powerful thing. If you can’t even think of forgiving this hypothetical transgression you’ve come up with, how can you ever hope to have a positive influence on this world that might actually protect others from the kind of tragedy you’ve described?

Show threadTheHarpyEagle

How do you know when a person is reformed versus playing the part to get out earlier? Is there a risk of the system being abused by those who commit a crime knowing that they can get out in a couple years’ time?

If you can’t even think of forgiving this hypothetical transgression you’ve come up with, how can you ever hope to have a positive influence on this world that might actually protect others from the kind of tragedy you’ve described?

I’m sorry but I’m not sure I see the connection here. How does forgiveness prevent such tragedies?

Jul 12, 2024 at 1:46pmWeb