Accident or murder?

Funny but that question popped into my head while listening to a radio report on the conviction of a man accused of driving,very much above the legal level of intoxication, his auto the wrong way on a highway then crashing it into another auto which caused the deaths of the driver and a child passenger. As I listened I heard, or at least I thought I heard, the convicted man's lawyer state that this was nothing more then an accident and not murder as the district attorney had charged and got the jury to convict his client on. He went on to state that his client wants to take responsibility but only for having caused an accident. Ok, lets take a closer look at the facts. The defendant went out drinking that night and consumed enough alcoholic to make him so impaired that he couldn't see or comprehend the numerous signs that have been placed at all highway ramps for the luxury of the many dazed and confused-not drunk-motorist we have in this state in big red lettering "DO NOT ENTER" or in the more lovelier shaded yellow signs that proclaim "WRONG WAY". His client missed all of that. He missed all of those signs not because he was dazed and confused but because he was DRUNK. If he'd been simply dazed and confused he would have at least seen the signs and not had entered the highway that night the wrong way and would not have taken those two lives. And if he had been just dazed and confused well then that, my dear lawyer, would have been a tragic accident and would not have constituted a charge of murder which I'm sure the D.A. would not have charged him with. And here is a fact that this lawyer might not like to hear but it simple enough: your client killed and did so intentionally when he picked up that first drink that night. He did so when he crossed that i have had enough line that we all know we have. He did so when he entered his car and drove away to meet his destiny and cause two innocent people meet theirs. Those who died will not get their day in court to have their case presented to a jury by a crafty lawyer, that painful burden has been given to their loved ones. They will not even get that second chance that all of us bad doers seem to demand and get these days in America. I am not at all sorry for your client's fate, he deserves all the jail time he gets and that, my friends, is all the responsibility he can take.


LAWYER, n.
One skilled in circumvention of the law. A.B.