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Tag: drunk driver

  • Jennifer Lopez and Leah Remini Hit By Drunk Driver

    Jennifer Lopez says she is very grateful after being involved in a scary accident over the weekend.

    Lopez and her close friend Leah Remini, a former scientology member and King of Queens star, were stopped at a traffic light along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California when they were rear-ended by a drunk driver.

    Lopez later posted a photo on Instagram of her and Remini right before the crash took place.

    “Sitting at a light, Riding high right before some drunk fool rear ended us in my new whip!!! Thank god everyone ok!!! #GRATEFUL #THANKYOUGOD #DontdrinkandDrive!!!! #cursedthatfoolout #theBronxcameout #dontmesswithmycocnuts #mamabear #leahstayedcalm #thatwasweird,” Lopez captioned the Instagram photo.

    The group was headed to a Demi Lovato concert and had Lopez’s twins, Max and Emme, six, and Remini’s daughter Sofia, ten, in the backseat when the vehicles collided.

    “These three cuties make my day!! #Coconuts #Sofia #lunchwthekiddies #bigpimpin’ #brooklynindahouse,” Lopez captioned a photo of the kids posing in the backseat.

    According to Entertainment Tonight, a male driver driving a pick-up truck rear-ended the group while they were stopped at a red light. The man then sped away from the scene.

    Accoridng to the Malibu Police Department, Lopez and Remini called the authorities, who later tracked him down and confirmed that he was under the influence of alcohol. The man was then arrested for DUI and hit-and-run charges.

    Luckily, no one was injured during the accident.

  • Leah Remini, Jennifer Lopez Hit by Alleged Drunk Driver

    Leah Remini and Jennifer Lopez were involved in an alleged drunk driving accident in Malibu on Saturday, when a presumably intoxicated driver rear ended the car Remini was driving. Lopez was in the passenger seat. Her children–twins Max and Emme–and Leah Remini’s daughter Sofia were all in the backseat at the time of the crash. The alleged drunk driver fled the scene following the crash. Fortunately neither the former King of Queens star nor any of her passengers were injured in the crash.

    TMZ reports that law enforcement officials confirmed that the alleged drunk driver fled the accident scene. J Lo reportedly used a few choice words to describe the driver as she called 911 to both report the accident and describe the vehicle that hit them. She then shared a photo of herself with Leah Remini on Instagram and described the situation to her followers.

    “Sitting at a light, Riding high right before some drunk fool rear ended us in my new whip!!! Thank god everyone ok!!! #GRATEFUL #THANKYOUGOD #DontdrinkandDrive!!!! #cursedthatfoolout #theBronxcameout #dontmesswithmycocnuts #mamabear #leahstayedcalm #thatwasweird,” she captioned the shot.

    It seems the ‘Booty’ singer was letting Leah Remini drive her new car. Remini, however, was completely content to concentrate on the good in her day rather than on the alleged drunk driver who hit them. She reposted a photo of Jennifer Lopez’s twins, along with her ten-year-old daughter Sofia riding in the backseat.

    “#Repost from @jlo with @repostapp — These three cuties make my day!! #Coconuts #Sofia #lunchwthekiddies #bigpimpin’ #brooklynindahouse,” she captioned the photo.

    Fortunately no one was injured or worse during the alleged drunk driving crash that involved Leah Remini and Jennifer Lopez, as well as their children. This certainly could have turned out much worse. Hopefully states will continue to crack down on their drunk driving laws. Too many people die on America’s roads each year as a result of their careless actions.

    It’s unknown thus far if the alleged drunk driver who hit Leah Remini and Jennifer Lopez has been apprehended. It will be interesting to learn what–if any–legal action can be taken if and when he or she is caught.

  • Affluenza Teen: Family Foots Only Fraction Of Rehab

    Many were outraged when Texas teen Ethan Couch – responsible for taking the lives of four people as he drove intoxicated in his family’s company truck – was only sentenced to ten years of counseling. Recent reports from court officials now have Texas taxpayers especially upset, as they learn they will be partially footing the bill.

    17-year-old Couch’s parents will only be required to pay $1,170 a month for his treatment at a rural Vernon state hospital – which won’t cover costs for even two days there. The decision comes on the heels of a defense expert describing the teen as suffering “affluenza” – an irresponsible state into which his wealthy parents had coddled him.

    Greg Coontz, an attorney for the family of a deceased victim, said: “As a taxpayer, I probably feel exactly like you do.” He went on to add, “It seems like maybe that ought to be a little different and should be addressed if there’s the ability to pay. Most time, I don’t know that there is. Clearly, sometimes that ability is there.

    Lance Evans, the Couch family attorney, replied more pithily: “The family respects the decision of the facility and the court and will honor the payment system the court has put into place.”

    “Affluenza”, a term popularized in the 90’s, is described by Time magazine as a “painful, contagious, socially transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety, and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more.”

    Although it’s hard to deny that our culture propagates a sense of spiritual dearth and insatiable desire for material acquisitions, it hardly seems like a fair defense in a court of law. Anyone raised within a social narrative like ours is subject to “seeking more” than they have. Even after our basic needs for survival are met, we’re encouraged to further search externally. Then, those who can barely meet those basic needs are punished disproportionately.

    Counseling may thus seem like a good option to restore those with legal or substance abuse issues when possible. Yet, the larger issue being argued is an inequality across demographics when doling out these sentences versus time behind bars.

    One issue brought up on social media is that only the financially fortunate find favor with the judges in avoiding jail time. For example, in March 2014, homeless mom Shanesha Taylor attended an interview for 45 minutes and had to leave two kids in her car. She faced a felony for child abuse. That same month, Dupont Empire heir Robert H. Richards IV received probation but no jail time after being found guilty – of raping his own 3 year old daughter. The judge stated he “wouldn’t fare well in prison.”

    Is it fair that the rich receive help following heinous crimes, while a mom of two down on her luck and seeking legitimate employment… gets punished?

    Also, how is it that Couch’s “wealth affliction” is enough to keep him from lockup, yet his family can’t afford the alternative treatment?

    Image via Youtube

  • Drunk Driver Confesses To Manslaughter on Youtube, Pleads Not Guilty, Gets New Judge

    Matthew Cordle claims that he was black out drunk on June 22 when, after a night out on the town with his friends, the 22-year-old got in his truck, and entered the highway going in the wrong direction. In a video confessing to the events that occurred that night, located below, Cordle solemnly states, “My name is Matthew Cordle, and on June 22nd, 2013, I hit and killed Vincent Canzani.” The clip ends with Cordle asking for viewers to refrain from drinking and driving.

    The video was created for the Because I Said I Would project, whose mission is “bettering humanity through the power of a promise.” Cards, like the one shown at the top of this article, are sent out to participants so that they can write out a charitable act or episode of good will.

    Cordle was indicted on September 9th, for one count of driving under the influence and for a count of aggravated vehicular homicide, which eventually lead to the death of Vincent Canzani. He turned himself in to the police later that day.

    Today, Cordle found himself in a courtroom, and after all the talk of justice and doing the right thing included in his video, plead not guilty to judge Julie Lynch. That same judge speculated that the surprise plea may have sprung from a sneaky effort to have a different judge preside over his case.

    Cordle’s lawyers have said that he will remain in jail and will not post his bail of $250,000 until he changes his plea to guilty before his new judge, David Fais. Lynch, the first judge, was visibly upset in court today at the “not guilty” plea, and she was vocal about her distaste towards someone who would be dishonest in court. Cordle’s attorney’s claim that they were attempting to play the court, as Ohio law makes a “guilty” plea lock in a judge to a case. Attorneys were apparently spooked when Lynch claimed that she was unsure of how she would sentence Cordle, who can face up to eight and a half years in prison.

    Image courtesy of this youtube video from becauseisaidiwould.