It's ok to drink and drive...and then drink and drive and kill someone

[Kennyredline]

http://calgary.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100310/CGY_Coupal_Sentence_100310/20100310/?hub=CalgaryHome

Updated: Wed Mar. 10 2010 11:36:31

ctvcalgary.ca

The man who ran down and killed a Calgary mother has been handed a five year prison term.


Darren Coupal pleaded guilty last year to five charges including impaired driving causing death.


In April, 2008, the 38-year-old was drunk when he ran down and killed Linda Davey in the southwest community of Bridlewood.


Davey was out walking with her friend, daughter and disabled son. The son suffered serious injuries.


Coupal drove away from the scene but witnesses followed him home and led police to him.


At the time, Coupal's licence was suspended because of a previous drunk driving conviction.


When the sentence was handed down on Wednesday morning, Coupal had almost no reaction.


The Davey family was not in court but they were notified of the sentence through the prosecutor.


The Davey family has filed a nearly $14-million lawsuit against the bar the served Darren Coupal liquor on the day of the hit and run.


The suit says Josh Davey, who has cerebral palsy, was heavily dependent on his mother and need millions to provide for his future care.


The suit also seeks damages for Erin Davey, who witnessed her mother's death, and Kevin Davey who is struggling to move on after his wife's death.






:facepalm:

[911fever]

wow that's absolutely insane, only in Canada does this BS happen

[Canmorite]

Five years, what a fucking joke. Any details on eligibility for parole?

[Dumbass17]

this line made me really sad "The suit also seeks damages for Erin Davey, who witnessed her mother's death, and Kevin Davey who is struggling to move on after his wife's death. "

[abyss]

:eek: 5 years?! Are you fucking kidding me? For someone who has a suspended license DUE to drinking in the first place. I can't even begin to describe how angry this makes me.

[ekguy]

That's wrong. Such a light sentence for such a horrible crime.

[Trini]

wtf that is just retarded.:facepalm: :facepalm:

[Melinda]

:facepalm: I was on the scene of this accident (it happened at the end of my street) and this ruling just infuriates me. You really had to see the route this idiot took to take this family down. It would take a special level of impairment to accomplish what he did. An entire community is mourning this woman still, even 2 years later.

*Sigh* why can't our justice system play the 'an eye for an eye' card? Giant bunchess of lameness and outrage.

[1barA4]

Dammit...Kevin Davey's a good guy, moved here from the UK (and from when I talked to him before, he's a fairly experienced traditional japanese jujutsu guy and submission grappling coach)...

This is BS.

[toyboy88]

Originally posted by ekguy
That's wrong. Such a light sentence for such a horrible crime.

:werd: Must be fucking hard for the family/victims to hear '5 years' for what he did. :thumbsdow

[Masked Bandit]

The jail time is crap. With time already served combined with "good behavior", this dipshit's going to be out in half an hour.



Does anyone else have a bit of an issue with the family suing the bar he was drinking at? I don't see a problem with the family suing the driver, but the bar he was drinking at?

[King Banana]

Originally posted by Masked Bandit
Does anyone else have a bit of an issue with the family suing the bar he was drinking at? I don't see a problem with the family suing the driver, but the bar he was drinking at?

I don't know what it is off hand but there is a law that dictates when a bar is legally obligated to stop serving alcohol to a customer.

[vengie]

Originally posted by Masked Bandit
The jail time is crap. With time already served combined with "good behavior", this dipshit's going to be out in half an hour.



Does anyone else have a bit of an issue with the family suing the bar he was drinking at? I don't see a problem with the family suing the driver, but the bar he was drinking at?

It is unfortunate the bar is being sued but it was them who over served, and did not make sure he had a proper ride home... I have to ask every patron sitting at my bar if they would like a taxi or have a safe ride, according to AB gaming...

would be nice to see the blame put on the retard who did not have enough common sense to find an alternate method home. Unfortunatley this is the way it is, and unfortunatley it sends a message of " Hey I can drink my face off, drive home, get a slap on the wrist if I do anything wrong, and the blame is put on the servers who served me!"... Would be nice to see some accountability put on the offenders within our justice system.

[baygirl]

Originally posted by Masked Bandit


Does anyone else have a bit of an issue with the family suing the bar he was drinking at? I don't see a problem with the family suing the driver, but the bar he was drinking at?
I've never understood bartenders being held resposible for "over serving". Sure, I get it if someone is falling down drunk-cut them off. But how are you supposed to tell how drunk someone is, and when it comes to driving, what are the bars supposed to do- take keys from patrons when they enter, and not give them back unless they pass a soberity test? For all we know, the driver could have told people at the bar he was taking a cab, or walking. Were they supposed to escort him home?

[dino_martini]

Originally posted by Masked Bandit
The jail time is crap. With time already served combined with "good behavior", this dipshit's going to be out in half an hour.

He is getting no credit for time already served.

The Judge would have given him a stiffer sentence had he not pled guilty to all charges.

Still 5 years in prison and a 10 year driving ban is pretty bullshit for what he did.

Why the fuck are people still drinking and driving? That shit is...I was going to say wreckless but its beyond wreckless. And as is the case many times, the drunk driver walks away unscathed.

[TomcoPDR]

Originally posted by baygirl

For all we know, the driver could have told people at the bar he was taking a cab, or walking. Were they supposed to escort him home?

[e36bmw///]

nm

[g-m]

man how come NOBODY on the internet can spell reckless properly?

[kwjent]

I've met the gentlemen who lost his wife. He had to take so much time off work and fell behind in his bills. This piece of shit get five years. That is garbage.

Such a great guy with a positive attitude. Thoughts are with them.

[speedog]

Originally posted by g-m
man how come NOBODY on the internet can spell reckless properly? How can you expect them to spell reckless correctly when their not hitting the right keys on they're keyboard that's attached to there computer.

[bubbley]

HOW????

WHY????

[cloud7]

Sad... but unfortunately not totally unexpected if you look at previous precedents.

[masoncgy]

If you want to off someone in this country, just pound a 26 and get in the car...

[BrknFngrs]

Originally posted by baygirl

I've never understood bartenders being held resposible for "over serving". Sure, I get it if someone is falling down drunk-cut them off. But how are you supposed to tell how drunk someone is, and when it comes to driving, what are the bars supposed to do- take keys from patrons when they enter, and not give them back unless they pass a soberity test? For all we know, the driver could have told people at the bar he was taking a cab, or walking. Were they supposed to escort him home?

As much as I agree that the person drinking should be responsible, I called the police on more than one occasion to report people leaving the lounge I worked at. While it's not worth the fight to take their keys, it's a breeze to call the cops and have them snag them as soon as they leave the parking lot.

[Jetta-2.0]

drinking and driving is one thing but killing some on on top if it :bullshit: some one kills another they let them loose on the case of them being crazy some one holding a gun gets jailed more thn 5 years :facepalm: dumb laws and dumb govenment

[baygirl]

Originally posted by BrknFngrs


As much as I agree that the person drinking should be responsible, I called the police on more than one occasion to report people leaving the lounge I worked at. While it's not worth the fight to take their keys, it's a breeze to call the cops and have them snag them as soon as they leave the parking lot.
I commend you for calling the cops when you have. I just don't think bartenders should be liable for someone else's actions. What about you? Do you think someone should have the right to sue you or the lounge you worked at, because of a drunk driving accident? And how drunk would someone have to be before you called the cops? Technically, aren't some people impaired after only a couple of drinks? I'm not being bitchy either, I honestly want to know.

[malbadon]

Killing someone while drinking and driving should be 1st degree murder, simple as that. No excuses, no forgiveness.
This countries justice system is pathetic.

[Jetta-2.0]

Originally posted by malbadon
Killing someone while drinking and driving should be 1st degree murder, simple as that. No excuses, no forgiveness.
This countries justice system is pathetic.

run by old greedy ass holes

[Nigel Mansell]

The alcohol lobby is just too powerful for any real changes in the laws to happen.

My mother was killed by a drunk driver here in Calgary back in 1987. I was three and my sister was five, we were both in the car when it happened. The guy who ran into us was drunk and received two years less a day in jail, never mind five years. He ended up spending most of his jail time in hospital because of a bad liver.

I was young enough that it was easy for me to move on, but you can imagine the effect it had on my father, who was thirty years old at the time with two young children to care for. He had to take lots of time off work and we struggled financially permanently because of it. Even now, twenty three years later, my father still hasn't put my mother's death behind him.

I applaud the person who said they work at a lounge and call the cops when someone leaves drunk with the intention of driving. You may be saving someone from destroying a family. I actually feel both angry at and sad for the guy who killed my mother. It can't have been easy for him to live out the rest of his days knowing what he had done to a young family.

[PremiumRSX]

Sad that the driver only got 5 years especially when he's had his license suspended for drinking and driving already.

I think the lawsuit for the bar may or may not fall-through depending what steps the bar took to prevent him from driving home. Although they can't forcibly stop him from getting into his vehicle, they can cut him off and call a cab for him, get his buddies to drive him home, or call the cops, etc.

[Kennyredline]

Originally posted by baygirl

I commend you for calling the cops when you have. I just don't think bartenders should be liable for someone else's actions. What about you? Do you think someone should have the right to sue you or the lounge you worked at, because of a drunk driving accident? And how drunk would someone have to be before you called the cops? Technically, aren't some people impaired after only a couple of drinks? I'm not being bitchy either, I honestly want to know.
The problem is with the laws and the bleeding heart Justices that hand down unbelievable sentences. There are no punishments harsh enough for this issue yet, and so all of us are required to watch out for drunks getting behind the wheel, phoning the cops, or trying to physically stop them ourselves. It is not up to bars or bartenders to stop making money because of the risk of a drunk driver; there is enough responsibility to go around, and it starts with the person drinking at the bar.
The maximum sentence for this crime is life in prison, that's what he should have gotten; he will do half of his sentence, and get out, drive on a suspended license AGAIN, and probably kill somebody AGAIN.

[Wrinkly]

Originally posted by baygirl

I commend you for calling the cops when you have. I just don't think bartenders should be liable for someone else's actions. What about you? Do you think someone should have the right to sue you or the lounge you worked at, because of a drunk driving accident? And how drunk would someone have to be before you called the cops? Technically, aren't some people impaired after only a couple of drinks? I'm not being bitchy either, I honestly want to know.

I agree - it's just another way of passing the buck to someone else. Someone who; in cases like these doesn't deserve it. There are just too many grey areas. How drunk is drunk? Everyone is different and a bartender is not qualified to judge whether someone is over the limit, especially if they appear to be quite sober (and many do - that's the whole point). The bartenders job is to serve drinks, yet he/she can get into trouble for doing exactly that? The customer could lie, saying he walked in/was dropped off/is getting a cab etc. etc.

I say put the blame where it belongs - on the shoulders of the individual who went to a bar, KNOWING they would be drinking and fully intent on driving themselves home afterward - that's as good as pre-meditated in my book!

[yipb]

Originally posted by speedog
How can you expect them to spell reckless correctly when their not hitting the right keys on they're keyboard that's attached to there computer.

haha^

[prelude98h22]

If i was good friends with this family i'd probably go kill this fucking idiot.
I'm only going to get 5 years.