Johnny Gaudreau, brother Matthew pass away after being struck by drunk driver in Salem County, NJ

[Hollywood Cannon]

I've seen some wild ass stuff from drivers in that area. It's a shame the driver ahead wasn't making room for a big tractor instead. Just utterly depressing stuff. Nobody has ever indicated the Gaudreaus should be held in anything but the highest esteem.

And today is supposed to be his sister's wedding day!!! What the hell do you even do about that? That's incomprehensible.

Not that it matters but... TMZ said according to someone from the church the wedding has been canceled.

How you go about rescheduling that and actually getting in the mental state to do that is beyond my capabilities of understanding.

 

[freakydallas13]

How fast was this guy going to hit and kill 2 cyclists who were traveling the same direction the driver was? Devastating news.

 

[Flyerfan4life]

So horrific.

And given those facts released about how the accident happened? What the hell.

That is not just drunk driving, that is drunk, dangerous, reckless and almost certainly speeding.

UNDERTAKING a car on a road like that? A country lane basically with no sidewalk?

And I believe the road in question is a 30 MPH road... no way he was going 30 to kill them both. Having worked for Cyling UK and knowing the stats? A car hits you at 30 on a bicycle you are going to be badly hurt but rarely dead. (like ~15% chance)

oh.. this answers my question..

i was wondering they were the bike riders or in a vehicle...

 

[landsbergfan]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1829500927403037138

 

[MayonnaiseOreo]

I've been trying to process this for the past 4 hours and I really can't. I'm in shock over something like this and of course it's due to a drunk driver.

I've been seeing way too many memes and jokes over the past year normalizing how "funny" drunk driving is and it really pisses me off. I know several families that were killed by drunk drivers and I'm not really one to get offended over jokes but it's a sore spot for me.

RIP to Johnny and Matthew.

 

[usahockey22flyers]

Sick to my stomach. I'm at Hollydell all the time and you hear countless stories about how Johnny and his family/friends are around the rink, renting a sheet of ice, playing in tournys- just normal guys. So friendly and kind to everyone.

A lot of people in this area have the same story..."I played with/against the Gaudreau's, and they scored 5 points in a single game...and they are nice people". Life isn't fair.

No words.

 

[Rebels57]

Killing someone while drunk driving should be automatic life without parole.

Pulled over for DWI should be PERMANENT license suspension.

Society needs to crack down on this shit.

 

[Embiid]

So the ahole thought the car in front of him was straddling the middle on purpose vs being cautious of the bikers so he engaged in road rage....something tells me even if he hadn't had 5-6 beers he would have killed the brothers just the same. Just a reckless angry PoS......

This makes me more leery of cycling on roads. Philly itself is a horribe place for bikers and I've experienced some close calls with jerkoffs whizzing by...

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

Just take an Uber. Even on the lower end of outcomes it’s not worth it to drink & drive. It’s like a $20-50 ride if you’re relatively local.

 

[BackToTheBrierePatch]

Another drunken piece of shit takes the life if 2 innocent young men. Feel so sad for the family.
Life in prison for the bastard

 

[PDX Flyer]

This is hitting hard. I’ve put a lot of miles on my bike. Riding from Pdx to San Francisco is my biggest trip along 101 and 1 in Northern California. Can’t count how many times I got buzzed by RV’s. Bless their family….. so thoughtless and unnecessary. Hug in thought

 

[BackToTheBrierePatch]

Hug your kids extra tight today. I have tears thinking about this senseless tragedy

 

[Fight4yourRight]

So the ahole thought the car in front of him was straddling the middle on purpose vs being cautious of the bikers so he engaged in road rage....something tells me even if he hadn't had 5-6 beers he would have killed the brothers just the same. Just a reckless angry PoS......

This makes me more leery of cycling on roads. Philly itself is a horribe place for bikers and I've experienced some close calls with jerkoffs whizzing by...

I think what is missing in all of this is just that fact.. although alcohol clearly exacerbates underlying anger issues and some people should simply not drink, to do something this extreme means he was a complete reckless POS to begin with that was a ticking time bomb, sober or not.

Had an occurrence last year where I saw a guy in a pickup swerving all over the damn road in Saskatoon, broad daylight on a weekday with cars all around, speed up and almost hit me from behind, before something clicked in my brain and I decided to pull him over and keep him there until he got arrested. Guy was so black out drunk he could barely manage getting out of his vehicle and hopefully would have just killed himself had he kept driving but it rarely ends that way.

It happens every day. All over the world. Some people simply should not have the privilege of driving.

 

[nacc BLOCC]

pass away? dog they were murdered. come on

 

[flyershockey]

Killing someone while drunk driving should be automatic life without parole.

Pulled over for DWI should be PERMANENT license suspension.

Society needs to crack down on this shit.

Unfortunately, there's not a ton of public pressure on politicians to strengthen DUI laws because such a large percentage of the population is guilty of driving under the influence (to varying degrees obviously) on a regular basis. Advocacy groups can only influence so much change, and unless people start pressuring the politicians, your state officials will continue to turn a blind eye to these tragedies that happen every single day (on average, nearly 40 people a day in the US die as a result of an alcohol involved accident).

I mean we live in a country where you can face an extended prison sentence for simply possessing certain narcotics, but DUI punishments are basically just monetary in most states, especially for first time offenders.

Just a completely senseless tragedy. Criminal negligence fueled by ego and inebriation.

RIP to the Gaudreau brothers.

 

[nacc BLOCC]

Opting here to make a separate thread. An unimaginable tragedy. Peace and condolences to his family.

for people that ride bikes, and know people that ride bikes, this is not in the least "unimaginable". the language and attitudes towards these collisions are very backwards. all traffic deaths are at all-time highs, be it pedestrian, cyclist, or motorist. when cars have gotten "safer", why is that?

i have had my life threatened, unprovoked, on more occasions than i recall, by people actively in possession of the means to kill me. and my experiences are not at all unique.

if you wanna be treated like a less than human piece of shit, regardless of your age, race, socioeconomic background, hair color, whatever; ride a bike around. ride it anywhere, north, south, east, west, city, country. dont matter in the least.

car brain is a wild thing, there are a number of studies and dives on the topic. largely centers on humans ability to "other" groups of people, taken in concert with various unresolved feelings arising outside of the vehicle, plus the cultural primacy given to personal vehicles in this country.

 

[nacc BLOCC]

This is an incomprehensible tragedy. I feel sick.

Whoever did this, I hope there is a hell and they burn in it.

I can't even comprehend this. Terrible.

not meant to berate individuals, but to reiterate: this is not at all incomprehensible to any people that spend any amount of time riding bicycles.

we had a young doctor murdered in philadelphia by a speeding drunk driver just six weeks ago.

Driver was drunk, speeding when he hit and killed CHOP doctor as she rode bicycle in Center City: DA

The driver had a blood alcohol concentration that was double the legal limit while traveling over 50 mph in a 25 mph zone, the DA said.

6abc.com

 

[nacc BLOCC]

Having driven on this very road I will say people there drive crazy they seem to think since it's not populous that the speed limits aren't really needed. The problem is there are lots of people riding bikes and people moving farm equipment along the shoulders.

RIP Johnny and Matt.

Prayers to the family and more so their sister who was supposed to have the best day of her life this weekend.

Going off the report there is not even a shoulder in that part of the road and I have no idea how you could undertake a car in the middle of the road without putting two wheels in the dirt. Looking at streetview there is barely room for 2 cars.

To VEER across the road after already being in wrong lane, on a road that is seemingly barely 2 cars wide to begin with? And cut under another car, hitting two cyclists who are on right side where they should be in process?

He has to have been over the road limits too... f***... anyone could have been there, pedestrians, kids etc and would have been the same result.

another fun fact is that it is illegal to ride a bicycle in the shoulder in new jersey. will you be ticketed? maybe, depending on how small minded a particular cop may be, but if you were struck by a car while riding in the shoulder in jersey youd have severely reduced legal recourse.

just urge everyone to put your phone downs, and drive the speed limit, you are not that important. you are going nowhere. the person walking or riding in front of you is not slowing you down. the traffic lights, spot signs, drive thru lines, and other vehicles (gasp!) are what is slowing you.

and its not even adding any time to the trip! people just cannot come to grips with not being able to drive their preferred speed for 30 seconds. now thats the tragedy! i have 500 american horses, and 666 turbo charged elons under my hood, and dammit i paid for them, and i pay my taxes, so im gonna use them!

 

[BringBackHakstol]

People in this country drive like total pieces of shit. The fact that this stuff doesn't happen even more than it does is shocking. Something seriously needs to be done about driving culture here. I really hope this can help change something. Otherwise it's only going to get worse

 

[Halladay]

Killing someone while drunk driving should be automatic life without parole.

Pulled over for DWI should be PERMANENT license suspension.

Society needs to crack down on this shit.

The laws in NJ aren't strict enough or at least they weren't 15 years ago. In 2009 someone I knew since I elementary school got killed by a drunk driver. The driver already had numerous DUIs and had his license revoked. I think the sentencing was only 10-15 years.

Things like that happen way too often. They definitely need to start being tougher on initial offenses. Like 30 to 60 days in jail. Make people think of the consequences.

 

[Danko]

As a society we have to start educating people and treating the causes of this much better.

 

[trostol]

nothing more to say that hasn't been said..RIP

 

[nacc BLOCC]

How fast was this guy going to hit and kill 2 cyclists who were traveling the same direction the driver was? Devastating news.

vehicles need to be traveling not near as fast as one might think to have catastrophic outcomes when colliding with people outside of vehicles.

shit, even the modern giant ass trucks and suvs, especially the ones with batteries in them, are incredibly galling for the disregard of the wellbeing for every single living thing outside of their metal walls.

https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/speedmgt/ref_mats/fhwasa1304/Resources3/08%20-%20The%20Relation%20Between%20Speed%20and%20Crashes.pdf

 

[Kelmitchell2]

nothing more to say that hasn't been said..RIP

Yeah people don't like my thoughts on it, because I'm all for that dude getting life in prison without the possibility of parole or even the death penalty, I have zero sympathy for drunk drivers, such a sad tragedy, I personally loved Gaudreau and wanted us to get him in free agency so badly, and what's pissing me off more than anything, are those ignorant fans saying "At least we get 9.75 million in cap space" so I've been staying off of social media since i seen those comments, I feel for the family, especially the sister, I mean today was supposed to be the happiest day of her life and now it's turned into the worst as she lost both of her brothers in a senseless murder (because that's what it is) and regardless of how you feel about him as a hockey player because I despised him as a hockey player but you have to feel bad for Kevin Hayes, and even Sean monahan, I met Johnny once and he was such a nice guy, we actually talked for a good 15 minutes about things, just a naturally nice guy, can't say anything about Matthew because I never met him, but that doesn't mean his life isn't valued the same as Johnny's

 

[CutOnDime97]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1829503415505793253

This one got me

https://x.com/i/web/status/1829571326149005813