In Memoriam Johnny Gaudreau & Matthew Gaudreau killed by drunk driver while cycling (MOD WARNING. No Flaming, Trolling, or Politics.)

[Rebels57]

I don't know what makes someone "normal" but drinking and driving is very, very common. Being drunk can also make people do things they wouldn't normally do.

Saying this guy was normal prior to the crash isn't giving him the benefit or the doubt or showing his sympathy at all. If anything, it shows why we need to be so careful about drinking and driving. It's so easy to just have a few beers and drive home, because you think you're fine. Then something like this happens, and all of a sudden it doesn't matter if you felt fine, all that matters is you were legally drunk, killed someone and now their family lost a loved one and you're going to spend many years in jail.

He probably was a normal guy before the crash. Most drunk drivers are.

No, having 5 or 6 beers and drunk driving is absolutely NOT normal. Maybe in the circles you run in, but the vast majority of society knows not to drink that much and drive.

Pretending thats normal is stupid and dangerous.

 

[SladeWilson23]

I think the number 13 should be retired for the season.

 

[La Bamba]

Why does it have to be an excuse? He did drive like an idiot and he did kill two people, obviously. If people didn't have to drive so often, they wouldn't hit people so often.

stupid and reckless people will always find a way to harm people, car or not

blaming society for driving because of selfish individual acts is a laughable take

 

[HarrySPlinkett]

Exactly, deciding to go cycling after dark is not the same as deciding to drive home after several beers.

The only victims on the culprits side is his family who I'm sure is suffering as well right not, not him.



Emotions are high right now, some people can jump to conclusions

8:30pm in late August can’t possibly be that dark, can it?

 

[im gangster]

8:30pm in late August can’t possibly be that dark, can it?

8:30pm last night in Burnaby, B.C. looked like 10pm.

 

[AKL]

8:30pm in late August can’t possibly be that dark, can it?

It's not pitch black but it's not light out by any means

 

[francis246]

Just asking and not blaming

but when did this occur?

like 7-10pm range?
or
11pm - 3am range

Was at 8pm or around that time. You can see in some of the videos from the news that it was dark and raining.

 

[landstuhltaylor]

8:30pm in NJ is a lot different than 8:30 in Columbus. It's already starting to get reasonably dark here at that time and the eastern edge of a time zone is a lot worse. Growing up in the Boston area and it's dark at 4:30 in the winter, Columbus is nearly an hour behind even though it's the same time zone.

 

[Devonator]

He should have to watch the funerals of the people he killed (remotely, of course)

I know it used to be in certain Eastern European countries, that drunk drivers were actually executed.....at the very least he better be locked up for a long long time....this is the greatest tragedy in the NHL since when Pelle Lindbergh was killed....and sadly in his case, Pelle had been drinking and it cost him his life.....

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

Was at 8pm or around that time. You can see in some of the videos from the news that it was dark and raining.

Those videos are after the incident when the police and news crews got there. Not when the Gaudreaus were killed.

 

[Crow]

Have to wonder how many of the people condemning this man as evil and saying he should spend his life in prison or be killed are huge hypocrites who have drank and drove before.

 

[NotWendell]

I know it used to be in certain Eastern European countries, that drunk drivers were actually executed.....at the very least he better be locked up for a long long time....this is the greatest tragedy in the NHL since when Pelle Lindbergh was killed....and sadly in his case, Pelle had been drinking and it cost him his life.....

The closest comparable I can think of is Roberto Clemente.

 

[Snubbed4Vezina]

Had a relative that passed away a couple weeks ago....commented to my wife "why do these things shock us more than when something happens to someone we actually know?"

Weird how celebrity works.

I think it's because those close to us are there in our real lives which are full good and bad happenings, but there's this illusion that people of fame are protected and insulated from the tragedies that come with reality as we know it because they exist in this almost fantasy world that seems brighter than the one we wake up in every morning.

 

[La Bamba]

Have to wonder how many of the people condemning this man as evil and saying he should spend his life in prison or be killed are huge hypocrites who have drank and drove before.

This is a strange post

Am I supposed to sympathize with people who drink and drive?

 

[Squiffy]

Sticks out tonight for Johnny and Matty, fellow HFers ?

Sticks out for Johnny and Matthew.

Sticks out. Ya. Feels kinda empty and meaningless but there’s not much else to do.

Good man. I’m going to light a votive when I get home, spend some time sitting on the porch and contemplating just how fleeting life is.

I might need a fire in the backyard pit tonight. Spend a little time contemplating life.

 

[TheBeard]

Does anyone actually have a link that confirms the driver had a previous DUI?

I will say that it takes 2-3 months after the day of a DUI for someone to go through the legal process of being convicted and going through a mandatory drug and alcohol prevention class. During the prevention class the person would go through an evaluation completed by a state licensed person. This licensed person would determine if the DUI driver must complete a rehabilitation program or not. In the mean time the DUI driver would have their license suspended. They would eventually have an interlock system (breathalyzer) installed in their car for a given amount of time when they get their license back.

This is just for a DUI, not one in which a person is killed. The process is similar once they get out of prison, but the court can make additional mandates.

I think wires got crossed somewhere. The 2 in a month refers to a story I posted about a drunk driver who killed a motorcyclist in Vegas after three DUIs.

 

[Ocoee]

Such a shame. RIP. For those advocating for more bike lanes or better roads that allow for safe cycling just need to read any of the comment sections of a Pittsburgh newspaper. They don't want them. They are actually very hostile to bike lanes in Pittsburgh. I have family there and follow the local newspapers online and was just there 3 weeks ago. I also just returned from Amsterdam, and it is great how bike friendly that city is. I'm not criticizing Penguins fans or your city so please do not take it as such. I'm just stating facts.

 

[MuckOG]

It might not have helped here, but considering how often incidents like this happen in major cities alone it would be a huge difference overall.

The fact is, we rely too much on car-dependent infrastructure in North America and it's killing people, plain and simple.

No arguments from me, but I think we are too far down the road (pun intended) to turn into a "car less" society overnight or the next 50 years.

 

[MayonnaiseOreo]

Those videos are after the incident when the police and news crews got there. Not when the Gaudreaus were killed.

I live in MD about 2 hours south of Salem, PA and 8:00-8:30 is right when it's starting to get dark out now. There's still some light but by 9:00 it's completely dark out.

 

[TheBeard]

Have to wonder how many of the people condemning this man as evil and saying he should spend his life in prison or be killed are huge hypocrites who have drank and drove before.

I’ve made my fair share of mistakes, even driven buzzed before (never shithouse drunk). I grew up and acknowledged the dangers and the outright stupidity. Living long enough you see enough stories and know enough people who have been affected by a dui or worse. If I’m ever dumb enough to do that again and the result is someone’s death I would want absolutely no one to feel remorse for me.

 

[AKL]

No arguments from me, but I think we are too far down the road (pun intended) to turn into a "car less" society overnight.

I don't think we need to try to become a car-less society, I think we just need to focus on also building infrastructure that makes it safe for cars, bikes and pedestrians to coexist

As I said earlier, in this scenario, even a real 3-6 foot shoulder on both sides of this road makes this road much safer for bikers and could have prevented this

 

[BrookswasHere44]

What an unimaginable tragedy. I don't want this to be "too soon" or insensitive but will his family get the remainder of his contract? Will CBJ get the cap relief?

I'll be listening to his episodes again this week from spittin chiclets. Heartbreaking

 

[Bleedred]

This has left me drained, somber, apathetic to hockey (that part will pass very soon), just all kind of different feelings and emotions. I don't even wanna watch a tribute video or really any kind of hockey highlights.

I bet I'll be over the not wanting to watch tribute videos or hockey highlights fairly quickly, but this whole situation really sucks.

I think this is the biggest death of an active NHL player probably since Pelle Lindbergh almost 40 years ago.

Quite a few have died while being active players in the league since then. As well as the entire Lokomotiv team in 2011.

But as far as the NHL goes, I think Johnny Gaudreau is the biggest name in hockey to have died while still being an active player.

 

[Steerpike]

I know the temptation is to pour your energy into vengeance. But I really don't think that's a realistic means of dealing with dangerous road accidents.

Beth Osborne: America's Roads are "Dangerous by Design" | The Strong Towns Podcast

The numbers are staggering, saddening, maddening. From 2010-2019, 53,435 people were killed by drivers while walking. That’s up 45% from the previous decade. In 2019, the last year for which we have complete data, 6,237 people were struck and killed...the equivalent of more than 17 per day. The...

podcast.strongtowns.org

American roads are designed such that you can drive drunk and that you're much more likely to kill someone than just crash your car.

 

[La Bamba]

As I said earlier, in this scenario, even a real 3-6 foot shoulder on both sides of this road makes this road much safer for bikers and could have prevented this

it still wouldn't prevent shit like this. more idiots would start treating that 'real 3-6 foot shoulder' as an additional lane

idiots kill people, infrastructure is not to blame, i dont know why people keep trying to take blame off the killer