Alcohol and US

From a Blog by ChiefReason very well written and put a good point across

Alcohol and US!
Posted by Art "ChiefReason" Goodrich on November 8, 2008 at 11:13am

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A mother and two children were killed in a vehicle accident, the victims of an alleged drunk driver. The husband, who was not with them, is a volunteer firefighter for the Dwight, IL Fire Department. The accident happened near Joliet, so his department was not the department responding to this incident.Read more from the AP Press: A neighbor reacted with sadness Friday morning to news of the tragedy.“They were very friendly,” Iris Wilder said of the family.” They were there for me when my husband died."“We are sometimes so involved in our own grief we don’t know what is going on in the world around us," Wilder said. "I am so sorry to hear about this.”Police said Getz was driving west on Gardner Blacktop when she crashed into the Jahns' car, which was traveling south on Illinois 47 about 8 p.m. in an unincorporated area near Mazon.The impact forced the Jahns' vehicle to roll several times before coming to rest in a cornfield southwest of the intersection, the release said.Police said the children were ejected from their seats. They were taken to Morris Hospital, where they were pronounced dead about 9:30 p.m.
The children's mother was pinned in the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. The victims were members of the First Christian Church of Morris, where they were actively involved. Wilder said the Amanda was involved in the youth group at the church.

Doesn’t this just turn your stomach? How many discussions have there been about drinking and responding, drinking at the fire house, drinking is OK in moderation and on and on. How many of you have responded to the twisted and torn carnage of a high speed accident and discovered that alcohol consumption by one of the drivers was a factor?

I have actually responded to a scene where the driver got out of his vehicle with his DRINK IN HIS HAND! Here is a snippet about the “alleged” drunk driver: Ann Marie Getz, 43, is now being charged with four counts of aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol, which is a Class 2 felony, said State’s Attorney Sheldon Sobol. Because the charge is for more than one death, she could get up to 28 years in prison, he said.

A warrant for her arrest has been issued and bail is set at $1 million. Getz is currently in intensive care at Morris Hospital under police guard. She is not expected to be released until next week, at which time she will be taken directly to the Grundy County jail, said Sheriff Terry Marketti.

Getz, 43, was initially charged with felony DUI and disobeying a stop sign in the crash that killed Amanda Jahn and her two children.A very good friend of mine is the former fire chief in Dwight. I am sure that he is struggling with this news. My heart goes out to him, the city of Dwight and their fire department and to the Zahn family.More lives lost to an alcohol-related accident. More lives destroyed by bad decisions. More discussions about getting drunks out from behind the wheel.The fire service needs to take a strong stand on drunk driving, but we can’t do it if we have those in our service who feel that it’s OK to drink alcohol and respond to incidents.
It starts with US.
Art