Donegal Crash: Respect for the dead?

Sunny said:
Where did he say 'good enough for them'? Nobody deserved to die but there was only one person in that crash who didn't go out and risk his life through idiotic actions.

It is the most tragic story one can imagine and we can all have sympathy for all the dead and their families but let's not pretend that it was simply an unfortunate accicent because it wasn't.
Click to expand...

If you say you have no sympathy it is akin to saying you got what you deserved.
 
MrMan said:
If you say you have no sympathy it is akin to saying you got what you deserved.
Click to expand...

I'm not speaking for Sunny, but seeing as I seem to agree with Sunny on this, I would disagree the two are the same. For me to sympathise with individuals would imply I empathise or indeed understand their dilemma. Indeed to use the oft quoted idiom "there but for the grace of God..."

However, in this situation I don't empathise with those in the car because I cannot put myself in that situation. That doesn't mean I feel they "got what they deserved". Lack of sympathy doesn't mean I'd gloat or cheer anyone's death in such situations.
 
Latrade said:
I'm not speaking for Sunny, but seeing as I seem to agree with Sunny on this, I would disagree the two are the same. For me to sympathise with individuals would imply I empathise or indeed understand their dilemma. Indeed to use the oft quoted idiom "there but for the grace of God..."

However, in this situation I don't empathise with those in the car because I cannot put myself in that situation. That doesn't mean I feel they "got what they deserved". Lack of sympathy doesn't mean I'd gloat or cheer anyone's death in such situations.
Click to expand...


So do you or don't you feel in any way sorry for the seven lads?
 
Purple said:
8 Young men go out and knowingly do something very dangerous and highly illegal showing no regard for their lives or the lives of others or the grief and suffering they will inflict on their families and the families of those they kill. Shame on them all, most particularly the driver of the car.
Click to expand...

they did something stupid, not malicious and you can say shame on them, but to feel no sympathy for them is very cold hearted.
 
MrMan said:
So 7 young guys decide to do something foolish one night and it results in them being killed and another man also killed. You say good enough for them?
We have all done stupid things and most of us have been lucky enough to get away with it.
Click to expand...

thats very true...........leist we forget!
 
MrMan said:
So do you or don't you feel in any way sorry for the seven lads?
Click to expand...

As you say, we've all done stupid things and got away with it. Have I though done anything that stupid or reckless? In all honesty no. I may have done stuff that has potentially put myself in danger, but never others to that extent.

So do I feel sorry for them, of course, the loss of life in such circumstances is always sorrowful. I'm a human being and don't wish to see life lost in any circumstances. I feel more sorry for their families though than I do the individuals.

Splitting hairs: do I fully sympathise with them? No. I just don't. If it were a member of my family who the car had hit and killed and they had survived, if I'm honest the small warm bit of my heart would have only extended to giving them a head start to run away from me.

Your implication is that by not sympathising, I'm wishing people dead or gloating over their deaths. If you wish to make emotion and responses to such situations as black and white as that then fine, but it just isn't the case and we both know it's more complicated than that.

I'd love to say if it were a member of my family they had killed that I would be full of forgiveness, but I wouldn't be.
 
MrMan said:
If you say you have no sympathy it is akin to saying you got what you deserved.
Click to expand...

I am sorry anyone is dead. I am sorry for the families. I am even sorry in a way for the driver who will have to live with this. However, it is time we stopped treating people who speed or drink and drive and who are involved in accidents as victims. They are not. The man coming home from bingo was a victim. How are kids going to learn if we keep treating events like this as an unavoidable accident. You might it distasteful but if pointing out the stupidity of those 8 people in the one cars saves one life, then it is worth it.
 
+1

I think the term "road traffic accident" should never be used. With very few exceptions, crashes are someones fault, therefore not an accident.
 
I am not sorry for the driver who survived. He didn't learn from his first dangerous driving prosecution. I hope those 8 deaths haunt him every day for the rest of his life.
 
Sunny said:
I am sorry anyone is dead. I am sorry for the families. I am even sorry in a way for the driver who will have to live with this. However, it is time we stopped treating people who speed or drink and drive and who are involved in accidents as victims. They are not. The man coming home from bingo was a victim. How are kids going to learn if we keep treating events like this as an unavoidable accident. You might it distasteful but if pointing out the stupidity of those 8 people in the one cars saves one life, then it is worth it.
Click to expand...
Well said.
 
If the driver survives, it is unlikely the DPP will do anything.

You will have the families appealing for leniency pleading not to jail him.
 
DB74 said:
I hope those 8 deaths haunt him every day for the rest of his life.
Click to expand...

I'm sure this will happen, but I don't see how it helps anyone.

Moral Ethos said:
If the driver survives, it is unlikely the DPP will do anything.

You will have the families appealing for leniency pleading not to jail him.
Click to expand...

The DPP won't hear pleas from the family members when deciding whether to prosecute. Those pleas might come out at sentencing stage.

Sad to see that some young drivers still haven't got the message:
[FONT=&quot]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64WiHXvczGc[/FONT]
 
As terribly sad as this incident was, I can understand the views of some people.

I live in this area and to be honest I have witnessed silly and dangerous driving on many occasions over the last few years. And because of this, it can, sometimes, be difficult to find sympathy for anyone that kills themselves simply because they were driving too fast, recklessly or under the influence.

Its extra sad when they take innocents with them.

And although I do think that personal responsibility is the deciding factor here, there also needs to be a greater Gardai presence. Its common knowledge what areas of Inishowen are affected by these young drivers - they regularly use the same stretches of road to race on or speed. So many cannot understand why, if the man in the street knows it, that the Gardai aren't there sometimes to catch them in the act.

And when these young dangerous drivers are caught they need to be serverely punished. I think its time that a zero tolerance approach was brought in for young drivers. We have all done 65 in a 60 zone, but few of us do 100 in a 60 zone. I think its time that those who are caught doing very excessive speeds for the road/conditions get their licence taken off them for a long time (maybe 5 years?) to try to drive home the seriousness of their crime.

But we do need a greater presence on the roads by the Gardai. In all my years driving around the area, I could count on one hand the number of police speed camera's I've seen. I see plenty of them assisting the Customs recently in trying to bring in VRT fees, yet none out holding speed cameras.
 
I feel deeply sorry for all involved in this tragedy, whatever the circumstances (not that I am for one second condoning reckless driving).

Any punishment the courts may hand down to the driver will pale into insignificance - he already has a life sentence of his own making.
 
he already has a life sentence of his own making.
Click to expand...
That will be the sort of line that will be trotted out by the families and his legal team if it ever goes to court.

It was the exact same line the Gardaí gave me when 2 of my friends were killed by a NI registered vehicle.
 
Moral Ethos said:
That will be the sort of line that will be trotted out by the families and his legal team if it ever goes to court.

It was the exact same line the Gardaí gave me when 2 of my friends were killed by a NI registered vehicle.
Click to expand...

I agree, and it's exactly the sort of rubbish that the juries in Donegal seem to take into account when they let people off for driving related homicides.
 
Moral Ethos said:
That will be the sort of line that will be trotted out by the families and his legal team if it ever goes to court.

It was the exact same line the Gardaí gave me when 2 of my friends were killed by a NI registered vehicle.
Click to expand...

well it if comes from the families affected then one might assume that they are best placed to make that call.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top