MR

This is truly heartbreaking news. I personaly think that people like this guy shouldnt even get a chance to spend one minute in prison or one meal served. Give him the chair, or better yet have bubba & his buddies fuck him to death!

http://www.wtol.com/global/story.asp?s=7559419




TOLEDO -- Five passengers, including an infant, were struck and killed in a crash on I-280 late Sunday night. Three remaining passengers are hospitalized. Drunk driving appears to have been the cause.

News 11 broke this story during our 11 p.m. newscast Sunday night with live coverage from the scene. We continue to bring you coverage from both the hospital and Toledo Municipal Court on Monday.

Officials at Toledo Municipal Court tell News 11 the blood alcohol count for Michael Gagnon, who was driving the wrong way on I-280, came back as .254. That's over three times the legal limit in the state of Ohio, which is .08. News 11 has also learned through the court that Gagnon faces five counts of aggravated vehicular homicide.

The Toledo Police Department will be holding a press conference at 3 p.m. on Monday. WTOL.com will bring you details of that conference as soon as they become available.

Around 11:00 p.m., officers received a call from employees at a Taco Bell that a man was driving drunk and stopped to get food. By the time police arrived, Michael Gagnon had left the restaurant in a Ford F-350 and got on Interstate 280 driving the wrong way in the southbound lane. Moments later, police say the truck crashed into a Chevy Astro van carrying eight people near the Manhattan overpass. The van was driven by Danny Griffin, Jr, 36.

The two vehicles struck nearly head-on. Both vehicles tried to swerve out of the way of the other. The heavier Ford truck sheared off the passenger-side doors of the van. Several passengers on the passenger side were ejected from the van.

Officers later found out Gagnon had been drinking at a bar in Oregon.

A woman and three children died at the scene. The baby, who was secured in a car seat, died after being transported to the hospital. Three others, including a man and two children, are being treated at St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center.

Police say five of the passengers, the Griffin family, appear to be from Maryland. They were driving home after visiting relatives in Michigan for the holidays. Three additional children in the car are reportedly from Redford, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit.

The names of the family are as follows:

Deceased in the accident are

Bethany Griffin, 36

Nadi Griffin, infant (A St. Vincent nursing supervisor says the infant was around 2-months-old)

Lacie Burkeman, 7

Haley Burkeman, 10

Jordan Griffin, 10

Surviving the accident are

Danny Griffin, 36 (serious condition)

Sydney Griffin, 8 (critical condition)

Beau Burkeman, 8 (serious condition)

A press release by the Toledo police states the driver of the pickup truck, twenty-four-year-old Michael Gagnon from Adrian, Michigan is hospitalized in the intensive care unit at St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center. Officers are waiting for the results of a blood alcohol test. He may be arrested upon discharge from the hospital on a charge of aggravated vehicular homicide.

We'll have more details on this story throughout the day.

Statement from Mayor Carty Finkbeiner
Regarding Traffic Deaths on I-280
December 31, 2007

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Danny Griffin. I would ask all Toledoans to pray for those who survived - particularly eight year old Sidney Griffin - who remains in critical condition in St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center. The driver of the pickup truck, Michael Gagnon, will be charged upon his release from the hospital and prosecuted to the maximum extent of the law.

The tragic accident late last night on I-280 should serve as a stark reminder to all citizens to not drink and drive as we wrap up the 2007 holiday season. The deaths of five people, including four children, need not have happened had one individual had the common sense to not get behind the wheel after he'd been drinking.

Please, if you drink, do not drive. There are several options available for holiday partiers this evening - including free tows from ABCO Towing of Toledo. There is no reason or excuse to drive while intoxicated

An infant.



Pisses me off. Lock him up tie the key in a not and stick it up his ass.

I read about that this morning on CNN.com. How heartbreaking! Can you imagine the two young girls who survived with critical injuries? When they wake up, they will learn that their sisters and one of their mothers were all killed. Their lives will be wrecked.

I've said for years that I cannot understand why alcohol is legal and marijuana is not. If they had taverns that served weed instead of Jack Daniels shots to customers, these kind of tragedies would be much less common. I'm not trying to advocate marijuana usage, I just cannot understand why alcohol is legal since it is obviously much more impairing when it comes to driving a vehicle. If they don't want people to drink and drive, they should at least close the taverns. When I drive by a club or a tavern late at night and see a packed parking lot - you'd have to be crazy to think that most of them are not going to drive home drunk.

That said, I still like to drink a beer or two when I go to see a live band or a concert. However, I would forego that luxury if it meant stopping tragedies like this from happening.

Red13JoePa wrote:An infant.



Pisses me off. Lock him up tie the key in a not and stick it up his ass.

And...court order him to go to the funerals of those he killed and let him see first hand what he's done.

Lady Luck wrote:

Red13JoePa wrote:An infant.



Pisses me off. Lock him up tie the key in a not and stick it up his ass.

And...court order him to go to the funerals of those he killed and let him see first hand what he's done.

But before the funerals...court order him to the autopsies.

Too bad the bar didn't stop serving him....

I have also heard of people in prison having to keep pictures of their victims in plain view in the cell. I think that would be a nice little addendum to this jackass' very long term (I hope he will get).

Lori Jo wrote:But before the funerals...court order him to the autopsies.

That hit me hard in the gut.

Sadly whatever happens to this man, there are families and friends who lost people they love. Whatever this person's reasons for getting behind the wheel of a car in that condition leads me to believe he has no value when it comes to human life. Which means he most likely won't recognize the utter destruction and pain he caused. More's the pity.

I would imagine he wishes he perished rather than lived to see this play out. I am sure the Tavern where he got all fueled up will be in the State's cross hairs, as well they should be.

Rockindeano wrote:I would imagine he wishes he perished rather than lived to see this play out. I am sure the Tavern where he got all fueled up will be in the State's cross hairs, as well they should be.

He may, he may not. I agree that the tavern will most likely face some serious charges...as they should if they continued to serve him.

What a complete waste.

Has anyone seen the book "What would you do?"
We read it aloud in a huge family setting over the holiday, lots of fights!!!

drunk driving is one of the questions....

if this guy had no priors.. then there is a good chance he will get something like 10 years probation for everything, even for multiple deaths,, .. or maybe 5 years prison , be out in less than 2 due to good behavior and overcrowded facilities..

plus he can bond out for 10% and stay out of jail for 6 months to a year before it goes to a trial..

the family can sue him in a Civil Wrongful Death Suit.. and possible win... but that will not mean they will EVER see a dime.. the killers car insurance will only pay for vehicle damage and possible 15k- 20k for Pain and Suffering depending on the killers policy.. this takes years in litigation though.. you have to first wait for the insurance company to respond.. they have a full 2 years to comply ,, most of the time the insurance company will try to wait out the family.. so that the family will get desperate and settle....

if your going to kill people and get away with it .. killing them while drunk is the way to do so without much consequence. .. dont do it SOBER!! that will be premeditated murder.. UGH!! terrible..

I try not to get riled up about the news, but I just heard something today that really pissed me off. A drive-by shooting where the criminals pumped something like 50 bullets into a visible window with two little girls in it. According to the authorities, they apparently targeted the girls, who were something like ages 4 and 7. One of the girls was only grazed, but the other was shot 7 times and just died in the hospital.

Tell me I wouldn't like to go hunting for New Year's Eve...

Rockindeano wrote:

Lori Jo wrote:But before the funerals...court order him to the autopsies.

That hit me hard in the gut.

I worked for our local police department for 5 1/2 years. Trust me. This would be a powerful lesson for the man, to say the least.

Good call by the TAco Bell employees

Police arrived in 2 min & 12 sec
Wow, Oregon cops are on the ball.

Valiant effort.
but a family distroyed because of someone who would like to blame something else for his actions.
He chose to drink
He chose to drive
He is to blame

Shadowsong wrote:Good call by the TAco Bell employees

Police arrived in 2 min & 12 sec
Wow, Oregon cops are on the ball.

Valiant effort.
but a family distroyed because of someone who would like to blame something else for his actions.
He chose to drink
He chose to drive
He is to blame

I wish the staff wouldve delayed this guys food till the cops would get there.
Also , maybe the reason they arrived so quickly is cause there is a donut shop about 1 minute 12 seconds from Taco Bell in Oregon.(This is Oregon , OH , not the state of course)

I live about 20 minutes from where this happened so of course this is huge news here (not that it shouldn't be..)

Gagnon was charged with 5 counts of vehicular manslaughter and will be arraigned tomorrow. Came out of it with nothing more than a "jaw injury" (how does that happen??).

He had been at a place called the Rodeo Bar & Grill which is right next door to a Holiday Inn where he and family members had rooms reserved. So it would appear that they were trying to do the right thing by staying right there. Apparently he was in his brother's truck, and the brother stated that no one even knew he had taken off from the bar but admits that he was really drunk. So it just goes to show that even the best of intentions can get fucked up - just add alcohol.....

Beau - the 8 yr. old - was discharged yesterday. I won't post the picture of the family, but if you decide for yourself that you want to see...
http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/misc?url=/templates/zoom.pbs&Site=TO&Date=20080101&Category=NEWS03&ArtNo=679529958&Ref=H3

Wendy

It's a very sad thing for the famlies of course ...but for his sorry ass...well he'll get to wake up everyday and remeber what he did ...till he dies........wondering everyday what he could've been ...what they could've been .....and remebering all along when it's time for him to get dirt thrown over his eyes ,that's when the real trial will begin.

caboshooter wrote:He had been at a place called the Rodeo Bar & Grill which is right next door to a Holiday Inn where he and family members had rooms reserved. So it would appear that they were trying to do the right thing by staying right there. Apparently he was in his brother's truck, and the brother stated that no one even knew he had taken off from the bar but admits that he was really drunk. So it just goes to show that even the best of intentions can get fucked up - just add alcohol.....

He obviously was so drunk, he didn't know what he was doing. You think now, if he had just walked next door to the hotel, went to his room, and slept it off...

Sad.

I say recreate the scene in this movie using him, but for real this time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdWhF7CHIJ0

They should chop off his feet and sew them into his lips and let him suffocate.

Behshad wrote:

Shadowsong wrote:Good call by the TAco Bell employees

Police arrived in 2 min & 12 sec
Wow, Oregon cops are on the ball.

Valiant effort.
but a family distroyed because of someone who would like to blame something else for his actions.
He chose to drink
He chose to drive
He is to blame

I wish the staff wouldve delayed this guys food till the cops would get there.
Also , maybe the reason they arrived so quickly is cause there is a donut shop about 1 minute 12 seconds from Taco Bell in Oregon.(This is Oregon , OH , not the state of course)

Maybe they should make him eat tacos for the rest of his life & live in a porta toilet that Deano decorated with one on his taco dumps...