Speeders

[RandyBoBandy]

I'm really tired of the EXCUSES people lay out there for drinking and driving..Just left an EQUINOX party tonight..had 3 drinks...took a cab home $12 bucks $5 tip @ home safe and sound..total cost $17 bucks...even if it's $50 bucks who cares!! Just do it

[Big Daddy Badger]

Originally Posted by Ricktye

Absolutely not! The cause was speeding, plain and simple! You can drive fast or slow when you are impaired, the cause was speed and the sooner people realize that it is speed that is the cause of the majority of our accidents, the better!

I in no way condone drinking and driving, but 'way too many times, it's an excuse for doing something else wrong if you really get down to it, whether it's breaking traffic laws, spousal abuse or whatever.....

Whether the driver was drinking or not, if he/she was obeying the (traffic) laws, this poor child would still be alive!

Let the flaming begin!!

R...

You don't know that the accident would not have happened at any speed.
And... you are wrong about speed it is almost never the root cause of an accident.
Impairment and driver skill are almost always much greater factors than speed.

Europeans prove that every day.

[FishingMOM]

May the childs family see justice in this case. I hope this clown spends the maximum amount of time behind bars where he can't get drunk and kill more babies!


Karl Schwarz 29, of Okotoks, has been charged with the following:

- Impaired driving causing death

- Two counts of impaired driving causing bodily harm

- Impaired driving over .08 causing death

- Two counts of impaired driving over .08 causing bodily harm

- Dangerous operation of a vehicle causing death

- Two counts of dangerous operation of a vehicle causing bodily harm

An Okotoks man is facing nine driving charges related to a collision in southeast Calgary that killed an 11-year-old girl.

Karl Schwarz, 29, is charged with impaired driving causing death, dangerous driving causing death and driving over .08 causing death in the Sept. 20 crash.

He faces six more charges for the same offences, but for causing bodily harm.

Police allege Schwarz was impaired and speeding when he ran a red light in his Ford pickup and collided with a Mazda minivan at the intersection of 52nd Street S.E. and Erin Woods Drive.

An 11-year-old girl travelling in the minivan was killed instantly. A 53-year-old man and a 40-year-old woman — the girl’s parents — suffered serious injuries.

Sgt. Colin Foster of the police traffic unit said the complexity of the investigation prevented charges being laid sooner.

“There was a lot of work that went into the dynamics of the collision. There were five (officers) working on it at one time trying to come up with the appropriate speeds for the vehicles involved.

“As the vehicles collided, the Ford flipped over, it rolled on its side. All these things had to be taken into account with our calculations. It does become quite complex and that’s why it takes a little bit longer.”

Police were confident the pickup was travelling more than the 50 km/h over the speed limit, Foster said.

“We’re talking about somebody who obviously is impaired ... and travelling at relatively high rate of speed on a 50 km/h road. When we take all those factors into account, this collision was totally avoidable.”

Schwarz, who suffered minor injuries in the crash, was arrested at the scene and charged Feb. 7.

He was co-operative throughout the investigation, Foster said.

“He has shown quite a lot of remorse.”

Schwarz is due to appear in court in the next three weeks, Foster said.

mwright@calgaryherald.com

[kaiviti]

Why is it always the idiot who does this walks away with minor injuries?

[FishingMOM]

Originally Posted by kaiviti

Why is it always the idiot who does this walks away with minor injuries?

The alcohol makes them more flexible in these cases and their body is more fluid than the people they manage to kill.

[bb356]

My condolence's to the family

[sparky660]

What a nightmare for the family. This guy should be locked in a room with the father for an hour and experience real justice.

[javlin101]

This seems to be the case always with the drunk heading to court, deal with him as do the Chinese, 1 bullet.

Schwarz, who suffered minor injuries in the crash, was arrested at the scene and charged Feb. 7.

He was co-operative throughout the investigation, Foster said.

“He has shown quite a lot of remorse.”

Gee I am sober now and so sorry.

[pickrel pat]

Originally Posted by FishingMOM

The alcohol makes them more flexible in these cases and their body is more fluid than the people they manage to kill.

That and his vehicle is twice the weight....... Tragic.

[Big Daddy Badger]

Originally Posted by Ricktye

Absolutely not! The cause was speeding, plain and simple! You can drive fast or slow when you are impaired, the cause was speed and the sooner people realize that it is speed that is the cause of the majority of our accidents, the better!
I in no way condone drinking and driving, but 'way too many times, it's an excuse for doing something else wrong if you really get down to it, whether it's breaking traffic laws, spousal abuse or whatever.....

Whether the driver was drinking or not, if he/she was obeying the (traffic) laws, this poor child would still be alive!

Let the flaming begin!!

R...

That...is not correct and you do not know that your last statement is correct in this case.

The leading lone cause of accidents is driver incompetence... speed is merely a factor that lends itself well to other causations...not a causatitive in and of itself.

If it was... we'd have all killed ourselves or someone else by now.
That also fails to explain all of the accidents that occur at low speeed or within the speed limit every day in this country.

Was the driver impaired by drugs, alcohol, illness, lack of sleep or injury?
Were the roads icey, potholed or poorly lit?
Was the automobile well maintained and functioning correctly?
What about the tires?
Was there another vehicle at play that might have blinded him with its lights or cut himoff?
Were cars screening his view of the child?
Did the child dash out or was the driver swerving to avoid another collision?

If so these things also contribute as factors along with speed to an event that likely could have been prevented if the driver was either more competent or sensible in his actions.

And so far...we do not know the answer to most if not all of those questions.

Its a sad event... a life was lost and others ruined.
It is not however... especially at this point.... something that should be exploited to further an individuals musings.

Its that sort of quarterbacking that leads to the creation of lip service laws that do nothing to actually improve public safety.

We should probably reserve judgment until all the relevant facts are known.
These threads tend to turn into a dog fight over hypotheticals when we do not.

[FishingMOM]

Originally Posted by big daddy badger

that...is not correct.

The leading lone cause of accidents is driver incompetence... Speed is merely a factor that lends itself well to other causations...not a causatitive in and of itself.

If it was... We'd have all killed ourselves or someone else by now.

Was the driver impaired yes he was impared....were the roads icey?happened on a sunny summer day
were cars screening his view of the child?child was in the van. The van had the right of way - he had a red light (he ran)

if so these things also contribute as factors along with speed to an event that likely could have been prevented if the driver was either more competent or sensible in his actions.

plain and simple this guy is a moron

[Big Daddy Badger]

Originally Posted by FishingMOM

plain and simple this guy is a moron

In all fairness dear... that information was not available when I began my post or when the fella I was responding to posted his comments.

I also failed to note that this is a very old post that someone breathed life into again.

My bad... I should have checked the date and read the last post first.

[FishingMOM]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy Badger

In all fairness dear... that information was not available when I began my post or when the fella I was responding to posted his comments.

I also failed to note that this is a very old post that someone breathed life into again.

My bad... I should have checked the date and read the last post first.

I listed his charges.
It was all in the updated info.
I always read the last post first.

[Big Daddy Badger]

Originally Posted by FishingMOM

I listed his charges.
It was all in the updated info.
I always read the last post first.

Like I said...my bad for thinking it was a new event and trying to follow it from the top.

Obviously...we did have the answers by when I posted that but again... I was responding to a post that predated that by months...and the gist of what I sadi would still be true.

We should not rush to judgment.

My post... proves that point nicely.
I should have read further.

[Sooner]

Wishing that every charge sticks and cant be plead down to one or two but i am guessing that will be the outcome. So sad for the family.

[FishingMOM]

Originally Posted by Sooner

Wishing that every charge sticks and cant be plead down to one or two but i am guessing that will be the outcome. So sad for the family.

Yes it is.

[Smokinyotes]

The little girl got her life taken away. Bottom line the guy was drunk, speeding and killed a girl. I wouldn't waste more than the cost of 1 bullet on this loser.

[tri777]

Originally Posted by Smokinyotes

The little girl got her life taken away. Bottom line the guy was drunk, speeding and killed a girl. I wouldn't waste more than the cost of 1 bullet on this loser.

^^ YUP!!
I'm ashamed this fool is still allowed to expel the very oxygen that he took away from an complete innocent!