Please pray for my brother

[nolaws4evr]

I really dont know where or how to start this thing off so I just will. Some of you may know me a little, some may not, it really doesnt matter though. My name is Josh Overton and I recently turned 19 on December 18th, last thursday. I have a younger brother named Todd who is 16.

On this past friday night, the 19th, my brother had about 3 beers to drink several hours before coming to the house I was at. I had driven his car while he took off with friend somewhere else. around 12:30 that night he came to where I was asking for his keys to take off. I told him no he wasnt going to have them. 10 min later he wanted them to get his cell out of his car, a 1990 300zx. I finally gave them to him and watched him walk out the door. he never came back inside after that. 10 minutes later my mom calls me to let me know he had been in an accident about 5 blocks away. everyone im with leaves immediately and we arrive in like 30 seconds. I immediately go to Todd to check on him and thankfully he was basically okay except for a gash on his chin and cut tongue. I talked to him for several minutes before checking on the other car, a camry. there was a 20yr old girl driving witha 21yr male passenger. The girl was basically killed on impact and the guy was taken to the hospital where he was stabilized but still critical. my brother doesnt remember any of what happened whatsoever, he didnt know he was in a wreck untill several hours later. he was tested at the hospital and had a BAC of .05, the limit for a juvenile was .02. DUI makes him the at fault driver and he was taken into custody from the hospital. he has his hearing tomarrow afternoon to find out if he will be tried as an adult or a juvenile. he was already on probation so that doesnt help, the only thing that can now I think is prayer. so right now Im asking all of you that believe in prayer do please do so, not only for Todd but also for the young man and also the girls family as they will need all the help they can get too. there is alot more info but I cant really think clearly right now so Ill save it for later.

Also, if any of you have any experience with this your input is GREATLY APPRECIATED!! we have a great lawer but any ideas are always welcome.

Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers, and input on this situation that has changed many peoples lives. I will keep everyone updated when I find out more.

Thank you all so much,Josh

[MasterMan]

that sucks man but its horrable that he had to kill somone over somthing so stupid... my friend got a DUI this weekend also, luckly he wasnt in an accedent, nor was he drunk, he smoked some pot in his car with his friend and they drove to walmart, well on the way back they had a DUI checkpoint where they were stoping ALL CARS driving on the road, and they smelled the pot, told the passager to leave and arresed my friend, thinking about it now its a good thing they have that becuse i know that i dont want to be killed just becasue some dumbazz desides to drink and drive..

unfortently sense that girl died, i hate to say it but your brother is probily going to be put away for awhile, everyone is making a big deal over drinking and driving, so thus they come down harder on people when they get cought..

im sorry if i sounded harsh in anyway thats not my point, im just telling you what i think... but good luck to everyone no matter what..

[BuudWeizErr]

So let me get this straight with some Cliffs Notes.

-on probation-underage-drinking-lies to you to get his keys-gets in an accident-one person in the hospital, the other in a box.

I hope he gets put behind bars for the next 20 years. If I were you, I wouldn't be worrying about trying to keep him out of jail, I'd be worrying about the civil and wrongful death suits that are about to be dropped on your family. You might want to talk to the lawyer about saving your a s s too because they could probably charge you with accessory.

And you want us to pray. If I was a religious man, I'd be praying for nebraskas homeboy who got his legs sawed off by some guy driving under the influence, not your brother who just ended someones life.

I know it's your brother and all, but this is the way it is, from an unbiased perspective.

[IvoryJ30t]

yeah, that is true.

[thephatone]

your trialed as an adult when your 13 so he would be trialed as an adult meaning the blood alchohol level is .08 or below, thats what i think i dont get how the girl died ( God bless her family, and her loved ones ) and ur brother geting away with a small cut...but regardless if that adult thing were comin into play, investigators would determine whos fault the accident was...

[Toahk]

Quote »your trialed as an adult when your 13 so he would be trialed as an adult meaning the blood alchohol level is .08 or below[/quote]Adult = 18, drinking age = 21.

[iliketocrash]

Quote »So let me get this straight with some Cliffs Notes.

-on probation-underage-drinking-lies to you to get his keys-gets in an accident-one person in the hospital, the other in a box.

I hope he gets put behind bars for the next 20 years. If I were you, I wouldn't be worrying about trying to keep him out of jail, I'd be worrying about the civil and wrongful death suits that are about to be dropped on your family. You might want to talk to the lawyer about saving your a s s too because they could probably charge you with accessory.

And you want us to pray. If I was a religious man, I'd be praying for nebraskas homeboy who got his legs sawed off by some guy driving under the influence, not your brother who just ended someones life.

I know it's your brother and all, but this is the way it is, from an unbiased perspective.[/quote]

unbiased as your opinion may be i'd also have to point out that it is an uneducated one. i don't know the kid either but i generally like to give most people the benefit of the doubt when i don't know much about them or the situation.First off it was never mentioned who was really at fault for the accident but because the kid was drunk it was, unfortunately, probably his fault. I won't really argue there.But there are really other factors to bring in like was anyone wearing their seatbelts? Was it really the kid's fault? All i'm really trying to say is don't instantly jump all over someone because they messed up, especially when you don't know the whole story.

nolaws4evr, i'm sorry about what happened to your brother and i'm sorry about the other people involved in the accident. Your brother is young and opposed to what some people may think, i'm sure he didn't mean to take someone's life and he's young still so i'm sure he's learned his lesson and its not too late to change things so this never happens again. I'm not a very religious person, actually i'm not really at all, but i'll surely send a prayer out for your brother, the other victims, and all your families.

[Bubba1]

Josh, I'm very sorry about your brother's predicament, but as much as you love him, this is not an easy thing to forgive and forget. On probation, lied to you, drank alcohol (which is illegal), drove drunk (also illegal), had a car accident that that resulted in a fatality. Of course I don't have all the details, but based on what you said, it's very clear your brother has some serious issues here. I hope he someday realizes how recklessly he behaved, understands the seriousness of his actions, and most importantly, accepts responsibility, which is a sign of maturity.

As part of his family, you should absolutely be there for him, butyou also need to brace yourself as you're not free and clear. In addition to the possible criminal charges of letting the kid drink and then letting him drive that way. There's a good chance the victims family is going to come after you, your family, and the party host that gave him that beer in a civil suit. Regardless of what you did or did not do to prevent it.

I was a victim of a street racing accident as an innocent bystander. Almost killed. My GF broke virtually every bone on the right side of her body. I'm not sure which was worse, the sight of my GF squished into a bloody mess inside my car, or the cold-hearted legal manuevers the defendant's lawyers tried to do to wiggle out of the multiple citations he got, to avoid paying her medicall bills. It was nauseating. Fortunately the judge was equally appalled with the apparent lack of remorse by the kid and his parents, and threw out all of their objections. As an accident victim, I ask that you, your family and especially your brother to please take the victim's loss into consideration. Your brother has already shattered the victims family, and trying to dodge responsibility would add insult to injury.

Jail and therapy may be what he needs. I don't hate your brother. I just hope he learns from the experience and does the right thing. That is my hope and prayer. Good luck

[cls12vg30]

I will pray for all parties involved. I do hope they don't stop investigating the accident and just pin it all automatically on your brother because he blew a .05. That's not legally drunk for an adult, and just because he's underage doesn't increase alcohol's affect on his body, assuming he's pretty much full grown. So there is some doubt as to whether alcohol was the main causal factor in this crash. I don't believe in the 21 drinking age, if you're old enough at 18 to vote and go to war you're damn straight old enough to have a beer. If they really wanted to save lives they'd lower the drinking age to 18 and raise the driving age to 21...but that's neither here nor there.That being said, your brother did break the law, and get into a car after drinking. There have been serious consequences of those actions and there's likely to be more. That's life. It doesn't make him a bad person, though it sounds like he does need some help. Realistically, something like this could have happened to many of us at some point in our lives. There would have been consequences for us if it had, and there will be consequences for your brother now. What he did was a gamble. Many of us at one time or another have gambled in similar ways. But when you gamble, you risk losing.And I agree with the advice above, depending on how the case goes, and the laws of your state, someone coming after you as an accessory might not be outside the realm of possibility, you might want to be prepared for that.

[spec-v5150]

unbiased as your opinion may be i'd also have to point out that it is an uneducated one. i don't know the kid either but i generally like to give most people the benefit of the doubt when i don't know much about them or the situation.First off it was never mentioned who was really at fault for the accident but because the kid was drunk it was, unfortunately, probably his fault. I won't really argue there.But there are really other factors to bring in like was anyone wearing their seatbelts? Was it really the kid's fault? All i'm really trying to say is don't instantly jump all over someone because they messed up, especially when you don't know the whole story.

nolaws4evr, i'm sorry about what happened to your brother and i'm sorry about the other people involved in the accident. Your brother is young and opposed to what some people may think, i'm sure he didn't mean to take someone's life and he's young still so i'm sure he's learned his lesson and its not too late to change things so this never happens again. I'm not a very religious person, actually i'm not really at all, but i'll surely send a prayer out for your brother, the other victims, and all your families.

Dude there is ZERO excuse to drive drunk or if you have been drinking. I dont care what the legal limit is, what his bac was at. That is just wrong. Take my area for instance. I live in a military area that is very small. We average 1 dui a week, sometimes more. Yet, we have a program on base where you call someone and they will pick yo up no qustions asked. ****, even the taxi drivers will let you give them an IOU and you pay them the next day or whatever or they talk to your commander. Two of the main programs we have and we STILL average a DUI a week or more. I have no sympathy for drunk drivers because it is gay. No someone has lost a life because some guy couldnt chill out and crash somewhere or say hey, can you give me a ride home. I think if my wife or daughter was killed by a drunk driver, I would probably kill him too. Seriously

[Nathan]

So let me get this straight with some Cliffs Notes.

-on probation-underage-drinking-lies to you to get his keys-gets in an accident-one person in the hospital, the other in a box.

I hope he gets put behind bars for the next 20 years. If I were you, I wouldn't be worrying about trying to keep him out of jail, I'd be worrying about the civil and wrongful death suits that are about to be dropped on your family. You might want to talk to the lawyer about saving your a s s too because they could probably charge you with accessory.

And you want us to pray. If I was a religious man, I'd be praying for nebraskas homeboy who got his legs sawed off by some guy driving under the influence, not your brother who just ended someones life.

I know it's your brother and all, but this is the way it is, from an unbiased perspective.

Amen, I do not feel sorry AT ALL for your brother.

I think if my wife or daughter was killed by a drunk driver, I would probably kill him too.

Agreed, and I'd enjoy every minute of it as well. If a drunk driver ever hits my girlfriend/wife, they had better hope I'm in the car and killed in the crash. If not, heaven help the dirty little ****er.

I just found out a guy I knew, sorta a friend from highschool died in a crash. At first I felt bad but then I found the newspaper article and learned they had been drinking, he was NOT wearing his seatbelt, and HE crossed the centerline and killed another person on a back country road. Now, I can't feel sorry at all for him because that's just dumb. I think a lower BAC allowance level should be in place (I know I'm impaired after ONE beer if I havent had anything to eat that day and I'm 210 lbs.) Also, the punishments for driving drunk should be MUCH harsher and if you kill someone, you should be killed too.

[crzycav86]

I really hope that nolaws4evr doesn't come back and read all the **** that people are writing. You guys are very insensitive.

The guy's brother made a grave mistake, and he'll be punished justly for it. Why do you have to go and make things worse?

Nathan, if your girlfriend/wife had been drinking and driving and she killed someone, would you condemn her just the same?

If your child had commited the same atrocity, would you want him to be killed too?

You guys are being hypocritical. You need to look at this event from all perspectives..

[Nathan]

I can tell you with the utmost certainty that she would NEVER do that, why? because I don't date those types of people and my friends are not those types of people either. If my child ever commits that kind of atrocity (hopefully he would know better after being raised by me) then yes, I would condemn him. You have to face your mistakes and he or she would have to as well.

[crzycav86]

Well, you never know..

Maybe the two of you got in a fight one night... so she went to a bar to drink it off.. I'm just speaking hypothetically. If she did do that, wouldn't you forgive her?

And I'm assuming you don't have a child since you say you would want him to die as well...

[Nathan]

No I dont have a child, if I did...I would be ashamed to call him or her my child in that situation. I certainly would not help them escape their actions through legal wrangling. If the other person came back and killed them...sure I'd be sad, but I wouldn't pursue any actions against the other person. As for my girlfriend/wife drinking off an argument, once again I know my girlfriend pretty damned well...she wouldn't do that. Our fights always end with me apologizing anyway

[BuudWeizErr]

i generally like to give most people the benefit of the doubt when i don't know much about them or the situation.First off it was never mentioned who was really at fault for the accident but because the kid was drunk it was, unfortunately, probably his fault. I won't really argue there.But there are really other factors to bring in like was anyone wearing their seatbelts? Was it really the kid's fault?

I like to give the benefit of the doubt. I'm not as cold-hearted as it seems, but this kid appears to have repeatedly done some stupid s h i t. Even though he blew a .05 (which is not really that high), he said he didn't remember anything about the crash until he got to the hospital. Also, research has shown that people who get into an accident who are drunk will sometimes escape with very few injuries because their bodies are more relaxed and will "give" with the forces of an accident, preventing injury.

Whether or not they were wearing seatbelts will not play a roll in this case (unless the defending lawyer tries to use that as a copout, in which case hes just as much of a criminal). The fact is that he was too drunk to realize that he just killed someone on the scene, and it wasn't until he got to the hospital that he realized it. And the fact that he drives a 300ZX (sports car) will not make him look any better to a jury.

I really hope that nolaws4evr doesn't come back and read all the **** that people are writing. You guys are very insensitive.The guy's brother made a grave mistake, and he'll be punished justly for it. Why do you have to go and make things worse?Nathan, if your girlfriend/wife had been drinking and driving and she killed someone, would you condemn her just the same?If your child had commited the same atrocity, would you want him to be killed too?You guys are being hypocritical. You need to look at this event from all perspectives..

What if it had been your mom? Your wife/girlfriend? Your sister?

YOU need to look at it from all perspectives. YOU are the hypocrit. There is only one way to make this right. He needs to and will be put away for a long time.

It's not like we are talking about him [nolaws] or his family or judging their character. He is still a standup guy, and I'm sure his family wanted nothing like this to happen. This was ENTIRELY his brothers fault, and as such his brother needs to get whats coming to him.

[spec-v5150]

It isnt insensitive. And I would tell him or his brother to his face. Drunk driving is DUMB. I know when i used to smoke weed, I had a place to crash or I walked ho,e. I NEVER got behind the wheel under the influence of anything to include cold medicince. It is unexcusable. I have sympathy for peopel who deserve it and I am just as hard on my relatives. My sister got kicked out fo the military for using drugs and was lookign for sympathy....not from em. I was liek who the **** does mushroms in jpan with pople they barely know and of course one ratted them out. I said good luck but dont ask me for ****. Now she is about to have a baby and is married to some *******. She made her bed and now she has to lie in it, same as that dudes brother.

[crzycav86]

No I dont have a child, if I did...I would be ashamed to call him or her my child in that situation. I certainly would not help them escape their actions through legal wrangling. If the other person came back and killed them...sure I'd be sad, but I wouldn't pursue any actions against the other person. As for my girlfriend/wife drinking off an argument, once again I know my girlfriend pretty damned well...she wouldn't do that. Our fights always end with me apologizing anyway

To me, it's pretty clear what you'd do... since you seem to be evading the question.

What if it had been your mom? Your wife/girlfriend? Your sister?

YOU need to look at it from all perspectives. YOU are the hypocrit. There is only one way to make this right. He needs to and will be put away for a long time.

I mentioned in my initial post the he will get what's coming to him. I'm not arguing anything otherwise.

I don't know if any of you guys are religious. It seems like the majority of the people aren't, but there's a certain sense of comfort that we theists have when it comes to death. I, as with most other christians believe in what's known as the communion of saints(heaven). When we die, we have another better life. Although deaths of loved ones are always hard, it is much easier to live the rest of your life when you believe that your loved one will be with you again.... It's a wonderful little trump card type of deal.. I think that I would deal with this issue if it happened personally much better than you would.

[spec-v5150]

NO I dont think religion has ANYTHING to do with it. I used to go to church all the time and I used to hear all this stuff. Like god determines when your tiem on earth is done, etc. Well then why do we follow such stupid things. Why do we wear seatbelts. God is supposed to determine my fate right.....Why do we work out to live healthy lives...if I am going to die from a heart attack, didnt god plan that??? If my daughter died from a drunk driver or hit by a car or fell from a tree, the last thing I woudl think is that she is in heaven now.....it is easy to say that until it happens. I am not bashing religion, it is a question I always posed ot my mom but she never really answered along time ago

[Mr1der]

I pray your brother has to look into the eyes of the loved ones of those he hurt. I hope this haunts him the rest of his life. He damn sure try to make amends with the world for this unexcusable act of stupidity only to find that there won't be any given.

[Nathan]

To me, it's pretty clear what you'd do... since you seem to be evading the question.

Please explain, I didn't think I evaded the question. If you want a more thorough response reword the question and I'll be happy to answer it fully.

[crzycav86]

NO I dont think religion has ANYTHING to do with it. I used to go to church all the time and I used to hear all this stuff. Like god determines when your tiem on earth is done, etc. Well then why do we follow such stupid things. Why do we wear seatbelts. God is supposed to determine my fate right.....Why do we work out to live healthy lives...if I am going to die from a heart attack, didnt god plan that??? If my daughter died from a drunk driver or hit by a car or fell from a tree, the last thing I woudl think is that she is in heaven now.....it is easy to say that until it happens. I am not bashing religion, it is a question I always posed ot my mom but she never really answered along time ago

I wasn't arguing what you were saying, since you didn't really make a case. If you'll go back to what I wrote about religion's influence, you'll see that it had nothing to do with God's omniscience. But just to make an off-topic point, the paradox of God's omniscience and our free will has been the center of theologian's thought for 2000 years.

.. the last thing I woudl think is that she is in heaven now.....it is easy to say that until it happens.

What makes you think it hasn't happened to me before? Don't assume that I haven't used this line of thought in the past.

Please explain, I didn't think I evaded the question. If you want a more thorough response reword the question and I'll be happy to answer it fully.

If your girlfriend/wife was in the same situation as this guy's brother, would you feel the same toward her as you do to this guy's brother? She is capable of doing this even though you claim you don't date those type of people.

[Bubba1]

I hope he does read all of the threads. Accidents involving drunk drivers is such an important issue, as it's easily preventable. Josh and Todd both need realize that the victims did not choose to be maimed or killed, it was entirely Todd's decision to act this way. And he should absolutely face severe penalties for what he did. If it were my child or spouse that did something that blatantly irresponsible, yes, I would expect them to face the music. But if it were my child or spouse that were killed by an underage kid that was drunk driving while on probabation, trust me, I would press for as severe a penalty as possible. And I think Josh would do the same. I feel sorry for all the families invoilved.

[Nathan]

If your girlfriend/wife was in the same situation as this guy's brother, would you feel the same toward her as you do to this guy's brother? She is capable of doing this even though you claim you don't date those type of people.

Ok, now I see what your getting at. Since I said she'd never do something like that and then did not answer the question specifically about whether I would feel the same towards her as I do for this guys brother you feel I dodged the question, correct? I did not dodge the question, rather there is no reason to answer it because I KNOW she would never do that. I've dated my girlfriend/future wife for over 2 years and been friends with her for a good time before that. She's my best friend and yes, I AM qualified to answer questions about how she would act in a situation. That said, I will address your question anyways, I would feel the same towards my spouse/girlfriend if she had done that. The reason I would is at that point I would be forced to second guess my choice of a spouse/girlfriend and would not only fault myself for being with a worthless person but would have to rectify the situation by breaking up with/divorcing her. There is no excuse for such reckless behavior and I would not be able to stay with someone that showed such disregard for others. If she shows that much disregard for others, how much can I trust her to care about me? In short, I'd kick her *** to the curb.

[StrangeLove]

I only feel sorry for the girl's family. They're daughter was taken away, and shes NEVER coming back. Josh's brother knew what he was doing. I think he should take responsiblity for what he did. Even if that means going to prison...

If someone in my family was in the same situation as Josh's brother my opinion of what should happen would not change. Everyone knows what the results of drunk driving are, ignorance is not a defense...

BTW: About 46,000 americans are killed in drunk driving accidents per year... thats more people killed than in the entire vietnam conflict...

[lessthanjakejohn]

Why treat a 16 yearold like an adult? Hes not an adult. They make laws for juveniles, shouldn't he be treated by those laws?

[MasterMan]

yes but there will alwas be that person that thinks "oh i can handle myself, im not that drunk" so your always gonna get drunk drivers no matter how many programs are out for them.. your brother f u c ked up (like im shure all of you have at one point) and the law will deside his punishment, he wont get off easy this time (i dont know what he is on probation for) but maby this is a good thing, it will give him time to straighten out..

[Slider]

http://www.al.com/search/index...local

That's just sad. Knowing he's got a .05 and he knew that he was intoxicated why the hell would he run a red light? That just risks being pulled over and getting a DUI or killing someone. I feel sorry for the other families, and for you and your family having to deal with this now, but your brother probably knew what he was doing and decided to take a risk and ended up taking someone's life and that's not right.

[TrueSlide]

Why treat a 16 yearold like an adult? Hes not an adult. They make laws for juveniles, shouldn't he be treated by those laws?

Act like a man, get treated like man. He was 'man' enough to drink, he is 'man' enough to get charged like one.

He deserves what he has coming, no sympathy here. I feel sorry for you and your family and the victims involved. Way too many people are killed in drunk driving accidents, and where I live they are cracking down extremely hard. Maybe they will make a example out of your brother.

[toki]

a) you're a ****ing idiot for letting your 16 year old on probation brother drink.b) you're a ****ing idiot for not realizing he was just going to take the car when you gave him the keys.c) I hope YOU see jail time simply because it would appear you facilitated every step of this ****ed up situation.

He is only 16, most kids, including me, this age are prone to stupid ****, you don't always realize it when you are doing it, but you do enough stupid **** and you look back and think, "wow, that was dumb. Maybe I should cut that out." Thats called growing up. Looks like both of you still have alot to do.