331 Accident Bad News

[Smiling JOe]

Saturday's wreck was the second fatal accident on that bridge in the last six months or so. Something needs to be done to make it safer.

Surely you would agree that the state/county/whatever, needs to do something to make it more safe.

When was that other wreck? I didn't know about it or the details. As I said, the shoulders on the causeway need attention, immediately. If Jesus had not tried to pull back onto the road from the low shoulder, we wouldn't be having this particular conversation, though maybe another conversation about another wreck. A center guard rail won't happen and a double yellow line won't prevent people who disregard the laws from passing.

I live here and see close calls in traffic nearly everyday. Red Rocket does too, and he wrote a song asking the people not to kill him on the road.

 

[scrltbegonya]

So horrible...and to think, I was annoyed bc I couldn't get across the bridge to Publix and had to go to Kelly's.

 

[InletBchDweller]

What does his ethnicity have to do with the fact that he was driving drunk?
If he had been American, would you have called him a stupid drunk American or would you have just called him a stupid drunk?

 

[ktmeadows]

This is so sad. But for the grace of God, this could have been any one of us who travel 331 to get to our SoWal paradise. I feel so terrible for this family - I'm sure they shared the same excitement over the last few weeks that we all experience when we are anticipating our week(s) at the beach. Think how the children were so looking forward to their week of fun in the sun, and instead have now flown home to bury their parents. I bet they'll never be able to stand the emotional pain of coming back down this way.

God bless and be with all of them as they struggle with this tragedy.

 

[southof30A]

A "capital" offense? Murder? I think so, and with the appropriate outcome.

 

[southof30A]

Drinking and driving is unconscionable. It's that simple.


I am so sorry for this family and all who has been affected.



.

A "capital" offense? Murder? I think so, and with the appropriate outcome.

 

[ktmeadows]

Re: Bad wreck on 331 - beware

Wow! You really must be a selfish person to choose this thread of all the ones on this board to use for spreading negativity. Maybe you should scroll up a few posts and check the link for the 2 people killed in the accident. Not only do they seem like really decent human beings, but they left behind 2 children and many extended family members & friends. That's what this thread is about. I think it was lindabobhat that said any one of us could be involved in this kind of accident and that is so true. I know that when I'm traveling to SoWal on Friday I will be thinking about this accident and all the others that have tragically occured prior to it.

Traffic accidents are a fact of life. Unfortunately, so are insensitive people. And before you decide to reply back with something nasty just remember you're the one that made the first attack with your "women drivers from Dothan and drivers from Louisiana" comment.

I agree. I wonder if Floridaz would have the same sarcasm if it were his family killed in that car. It could happen, Flordiaz - tomorrow, next week, next year...only one person knows for sure. If and when it does, think back to the time you made a sick sarcastic comment about a tragedy that took away the parents of two young people.

It was a sick comment and hopefully Floridaz will refrain from any more comments.

 

[southof30A]

What does his ethnicity have to do with the fact that he was driving drunk?
If he had been American, would you have called him a stupid drunk American or would you have just called him a stupid drunk?

Either way, the DRUNK "dude". be him Mexican, American, Lithuaian, Nepalese, whatever, etc. had a choice. The family from Ohio did not. The "dude" ripped their lives from them and he ought to pay the ultimate price. Is capital punishment legal in FLA?

 

[Rudyjohn]

Actually it did happen to us about 3 years ago on our return home from a wonderful week in Sowal--we were in south Alabama near Opp--on the 331 bypass around Opp. We were cruising along in the left lane, but tho the highway there is a four-lane, divided highway, it still has "grade level crossings". A very old man (in his 80s) pulled out of a cross street --it was clear he didn't see us. I managed to see that the guy had done this, yelled to my husband , he tried to veer off the highway, but it was too late, and we "t-boned" him. Thankfully, we had been slowing down for a light (way in the distance), and we had airbags. It was a rental car--a full-sized Buick--but it was totaled.
My husband and I had back and shoulder injuries, but they weren't serious. Our kids in the back seat were shaken up, but ok. The old man was taken to the hospital--I am truly hopeful that he never was allowed to drive again. His big Ford truck even had a trailer on the back--he was totally oblivious to what was going on traffic wise when he pulled out. The only disconserting thing in this accident was that his son was one of the police officers who answered the accident!!

It was a truly awful way to end our Sowal vacation--and every time we've come down since then, we've avoided the Opp bypass (which is engineered badly--we were told by the police that there had been many crashes like ours--people "weren't used to the four-lane highway at the grade-level crossings."

We were very lucky--the airbags really saved us, and as my physicist husband just explained to me, our accident had far less total acceleration than did the accident with the Rooks. My husband explained that a head-on crash like that actually means that the two velocities of the cars are added together--thus, the total force might have been as high as 120 mph.

May God have mercy on all of them and bless the Rook family. And may all of us be safe--this story has really affected me for obvious reasons!!

newyorker,
I know that area well as I grew up 15 miles from Opp in Andalusia. My brother, at 15, was in the back seat of a car in a head-on collison on the outskirts of Opp. He and 2 other teens survived (w/ months of recovery & many surgeries) but the driver and the family in the other car were all killed. There is something about the way people drive in these rural towns - - they always seem to follow their own rules and speed limits.

 

[Smiling JOe]

Some of you are making it sound like you could not cause a crash. Be careful how you throw out the punishment.

FYI - I think some of you need to read the legal definition of murder. I understand your anger, but educate yourselves. ;-)

Any death on our roads is to be taken seriously. Jesus has already changed the lives of many of you and hopefully, he has sent you a reminder to be careful when driving. Again, you do not have to drink to cause a traffic accident. This thread seems to have become something nastier than the memory and concern for such a lovely sounding family. I hope you angry people can redirect your hatred toward focusing on loving the victims. Why not write a sweet note and post it on the memorial website rather than show your anger here on this thread. If you want to talk about highway safety and changes to existing DOT yellow lines, start a new thread.