Put The Parents In Jail
It’s another sad and tragic story, that didn’t need to happen.
On September 29 three teens and one recent high school graduate all lost their lives in a terrible accident near Canisteo, New York. The wrecked car containing their bodies wasn’t found until late Monday afternoon, nearly three days after the tragic accident. The four had left an all night party to get a snack around 3 o’clock in the morning. That was the last time they were seen alive.
Now a New York State Police report says all four were intoxicated at the time of the crash. The driver was 17 years old and only had a junior license. That means he wasn’t even supposed to be driving after 9 o’clock at night, and when he did drive, he was supposed to have a parent or legal guardian with him. The teen had a blood alcohol content of .13, which is over the legal limit, three days after the party! The others killed in the crash were a 15 year old, another 17 year old and a 21 year old. Three were high school students, while the 21 year old was a recent graduate. New York State Police also say all of those in attendance at the all night party were underage, and that means someone served them alcohol, illegally.
Now, as I said above, this is a terrible tragedy. However, it begs the question, will the adults who own the property where the party was held, be held responsible? I think they should be. After all, bartenders and bar owners are held responsible for patrons who leave their establishments drunk and get into an accident. There is also an even larger issue going on in this case. Not only did the adults know the party was going on and that there was drinking, they also had to know all of those attending the party were underage. The police know where the party was held, so why not track down the owners, and arrest them? Will this happen? We’ll have to wait and see.
We live in a time when many adults don’t want to parent their kids. Instead, they want to be their best friend and let them get away with drinking and other things that simply shouldn’t take place. While it’s true parents need to be friends with their kids, it’s more important that they parent their kids. That means being smart and not blantantly breaking the law.
No matter how you look at it, underage drinking is against the law and really stupid. Many times parents say “it will never happen to my kids.” But, the sad reality is, many times such drinking parties end in tragedy taking the lives of the innocent.
Lets find the adults who own the property where the party was held, and hold them responsible for taking the lives of four young people.
Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus
