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Man Sentenced to 43 Years in Fatal Drunk Driving Accident
June 27, 2008

The man responsible for causing a horrific drunk driving accident in Ohio, which killed five members of the same family, has been sentenced to 43 years in prison. Michael Gagnon can expect to be eligible for release when he reaches his mid 60s. There really couldn't have been any other outcome for a man so intoxicated he took the wrong turn on a highway, and then drove on for at least four miles without realizing was going the wrong way.

On December 30, 2007, the Griffin family of Parkville - Bethany, her three children Vadie, Lacie and Haley, ages 2 months, 7 and 9 years respectively, Bethany's husband David, and his daughter 10-year-old Jordan were returning from a family Christmas celebration in Michigan. They were in a mini van, their car full of Christmas gifts. Meanwhile, Gagnon was tanking up at a bar. He got into a car, and proceeded to drive home. In his intoxicated state, he took the wrong turn, and found himself facing incoming traffic. He drove this way for close to four miles, narrowly missing a number of other vehicles before the Griffin van appeared on the horizon.

The collision, when it came, was fierce. A side of the van was ripped out, and a number of passengers in the van toppled out. Presents and toys were strewn all across the highway. Only David, his son Sydney, and Bethany's son, Beau, survived the accident. The rest were killed instantly. According to toxicology tests after the drunk driving accident, Gagnon's blood alcohol level was reportedly three times the allowed limit. His speech was slurred, and he reeked of alcohol. Witnesses at the scene said he kept murmuring that he was "wasted" in a delirious haze.

The defense tried to paint Gagnon as a law abiding conscientious citizen, who was taking classes at his local community college, and studying to be an architect. It obviously didn't work. The judge noted as much during the trial, calling Gagnon a man with a "drinking problem" he wasn't even aware of. You only have to look at the fact that the man drove 4 miles in the wrong way before he was stopped by a car accident.

Considering the gravity of the destruction caused by Gagnon's behavior, there was really no other verdict in this drunk driving accident case. In fact, there should be more such stringent sentences when fatalities in car accidents are caused by a person's utter negligence. All it would have taken was a little common sense for Gangon to have called for a cab, or asked for a home. When he choose to get behind the wheel, aware that he was "wasted" in his own words, he agreed to take responsibility for the consequences, and now he's facing them.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of drunk driving accidents. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

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Bakersfield Drunk Driving Accident Kills Two
June 17, 2008

A drunk driving accident south of Bakersfield, California has killed two people, and at least two others are reported to be injured. The driver now faces felony drunk driving charges. The accident occurred in the early hours of Monday morning, at about 2:30 am.

The driver, 21-year-old Michael Montgomery, missed a curve off southbound Highway 99, and then hit a sign, before finally coming to a stop against a tree. His passengers were Cicero "Tre" Goddard, a 29-year-old father of two, and two 19-year-old women, Rianna Zamarripa and Jamenrique Walker. Cicero, who was sitting in the front seat, was pinned inside the car and died at the scene of the car accident. Michael was thrown out of the car, suffered severe injuries and is being treated at Kerns Medical Center, where he has been listed as being in critical condition. Rianna, a Bakersfield resident, also was pinned in the back seat of the car and died at the scene. Walker was also injured in the accident.

The car, a 2005 Chrysler, belonged to Montgomery's fiancée. Friends of the two men say that Michael and Cicero had been friends for a number of years.

The California Highway Patrol say that they suspect that Michael had been speeding in the moments before the car accident, and that he missed a curve at the Panama Lane off ramp. He is being charged with felony drunk driving, CHP officers say.

For Cicero's family the accident is especially tragic. He leaves behind two kids, who had just celebrated Father's Day the day before with him. One son, 4-year-old Eternal Goddard, went missing after the car accident. He was with Cicero on Sunday, and then, the family has lost all contact with him after Cicero was declared dead. Eternal was later found with friends of his father, safe and sound.

A drunk driving accident is always a needless tragedy. There is no absolutely no reason for a person to get behind a wheel after drinking, and when accidents do occur, which is often, the toll of destruction and death is heavy. There was no excuse for Michael Montgomery to be behind the wheel if he wasn't in a position to drive. There are too many things at risk when you're driving on the street, and you cant afford to have anything less than 100 percent of your faculties intact. That doesn't happen when you've drunk more than just enough to give you a warm buzz.

Now, there are three kids suddenly fatherless through no fault of their own. The sudden loss of the head of the family means that the Goddards, who are putting up a brave face through the tragedy, will have to look for ways to make sense of their lives. Tellingly enough, when Michael's grandmother, Ruth, was informed of the accident, she told Eyewitness News that Michael was a great kid who "took to the streets early." If we take this to mean that this wasn't the first brush with speed and alcohol that young Mikey had experimented with, we can also assume that his fiancée who lent him her car was probably aware of his reckless nature. This may make her liable to some extent for compensation to the Goddards and to Rianna's family.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of drunk driving accidents. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

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