Blog Post

Man Sentenced to 43 Years in Fatal Drunk Driving Accident


June 27, 2008
Topic: Drunk Driving Accidents

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.


The California personal injury attorneys at The Reeves Law Group represent victims of accidents, injuries and wrongful death throughout California from our offices in Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Diego County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, Ventura County, Fresno County, Kern County, Sacramento County, San Fernando Valley, Long Beach, Antelope Valley, Torrance, Glendale, Bakersfield, Santa Ana, San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, Ontario, and Victorville.