I am starting to understand why youth think they are invincible and that as you get older you become more and more scared of life. I must say that I can definitely feel myself getting older. I am a firm believer in the saying, "There but for the grace of God go I." Recently Amy and Nate's friend Linda McJunkin was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the death of two men she caused when she was driving the wrong way down GA 400. Yes, she had been drinking, but I also know that driving on GA 400 at night can be very confusing. In one instant, she changed the lives of so many people.
When Kyle and I dated long distance for two years, there were many nights (often after a long day at work) that I would drive the 2 1/2 hours to Montgomery, AL. I shudder to think of how many times I almost fell asleep at the weel and something horrible could have happened because of my actions. It is only by God's grace that nothing did.
Linda and her family have been in my thoughts constantly. I can't imagine being her parents and knowing that your "baby" is going to be in prison for the next ten years, or her husband who is now left to work and take care of their five-month-old daughter. But most especially I can't imagine being Linda. Knowing that just one night has killed two people and deeply affected so many other people's lives -- I think the guilt alone might kill me. Please, please pray for her and her family.
This point hit home even more the other night when Kyle came home and told me that he had just seen someone killed. He isn't quite sure what happened, but he was on the tram that had just let people off at a stop. The tram was on a two-lane road and had barely started going again before it slammed on its brakes and Kyle heard a thud against the front of the tram and then a thud against the side of the tram. When he looked out the window, there was a man lying on the ground and a car with its windshield shattered where it was obvious the man had hit it. Kyle thinks the man might have been trying to cross the street and the other car was coming down the hill too fast.
Who knows how it really happened, but the ambulance didn't get there for at least 10 minutes, so there probably isn't a great chance that the man survived. The more I hear stories like this, the more scared I am to drive -- especially in Brussels. Belgium has a stupid rule called "Priority of the Right" where a car coming from a side street on the right has priority over the car on the main street. The only time this isn't true is when triangles are painted on the side street, but of course you have to be almost up on the street before you see the triangles and realize who has the priority. I was driving home late the other night on a street that had a bus and tram route on it and had cars parallel parked on both sides of the street. So as I was driving I had to look out for cars parallel parking, cars coming out of their parking spots, car doors being opened onto the street, cars coming from the right, trams, buses, and of course pedestrians. I used to never understand why older people don't like to drive at night and now I am really starting to consider being one of those people that doesn't drive at night!
Here is the story from the AJC about Linda:
Former Tech star sentenced in vehicular homicideIt was supposed to be a girls' night out, celebrating an important milestone for a young, career-driven woman. Linda Lisska McJunkin, armed with a master's degree and a strong work ethic, had just gotten her real estate license. She and her friends gathered at a Mexican restaurant, toasting her future over margaritas.
But what happened later that October night in 2004 left two young men dead and the former Georgia Tech track star standing before a Fulton County Superior Court judge Wednesday to be sentenced for the deaths. Judge Constance Russell sentenced McJunkin to 15 years: 10 in prison followed by five on probation. McJunkin's blood alcohol level was nearly twice the legal limit when she got behind the wheel of her GMC Yukon SUV and turned the wrong way onto Ga. 400, causing a fiery crash in Alpharetta that killed Jeff Coursey, 20, and Corey Blackstone, 24. The young men were part of a three-car caravan of twelve returning home after a night of competitive bowling in Roswell.
Frances Haynes, riding in another car, saw the accident. "I watched two of my friends burn to death," she said. "It's forever in my memory. I will see it in my mind over and over again."
Haynes' brother, Ben, also watched his friends die. He and his sister struggled with depression and lost their jobs. At times, his mother would have to pry him out of bed. His mental health was so fragile she feared finding him dead.
McJunkin, 31, who led the Brookwood High School track team in the early 1990s, stared ahead while listening to the testimony. She pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide while driving drunk and asked for mercy in the crowded courtroom with spectators spilling out into the hall. In a soft voice, McJunkin said she now has a 5-month-old daughter, Jenna, and a supportive husband, Jeff, whom she met while working at Scientific Atlanta. "They are innocent victims too," she told the judge. Her husband, wiping away tears, asked the judge to allow his wife, who walks with a slight limp from her injuries, to return home.
Fulton prosecutor Ron Boyter lobbied for a 15-year prison sentence followed by 15 years on probation. Surprisingly, the victims' families said no good would come from putting McJunkin in prison. They talked emotionally of their losses yet still asked for probation. Richard Coursey told the judge he still struggles to deal with his son's death. Jeff, nicknamed Stubby, was born without a hand and had planned a career making prosthetics for children. "That's what is lost," the burly father said through tears. Yet Coursey urged the judge to give McJunkin probation and order her to tell about her deadly mistake to students. "Let something come out of this whole thing, something good."
The other victim's family also pleaded for mercy. "In the beginning, I was very angry, very upset," said Scott Blackstone, Corey's oldest brother. "Since then, I have looked back and realize this is a mistake. She should be at home to raise her daughter." He said he hoped McJunkin continues to keep in touch with his family as they struggle to heal. "She took our brother from us and in some ways she should have to become a sister to us," he said.
Corey's sister, April Hicks, even hugged McJunkin while the judge briefly deliberated. The courtroom was silent after Russell handed down the sentence. "People have a capacity to forgive, but the state has a responsibility to see that people are punished over their actions," the judge said. She acknowledged that McJunkin didn't intend to kill anyone, but said she did intentionally drive drunk.
When McJunkin is released, she must pay $250 a month for two years toward a victims' trust fund. She must also complete 500 hours of community service, including speaking to students about the dangers of drinking and driving. She has 120 days left with her family before she must report to a state prison.
