Ontario, Canada- The tragic deaths of five young men from both Ontario and California emphasize the dangers of distracted driving, and is a poignant reminder that no text or drink is worth losing your life for.
Over Labor Day weekend five men were drinking, tweeting, and driving along Creekside Drive and Haven Ave. in Ontario when the driver lost control, ran through a red light and slammed into a wall.
Marquell Bogan, 23, and Dylan George,20, and Ervin McKinness, 21, all of Ontario; Jonathan Watson, 21, of San Bernardino, and Jujuan Bennett, 23, all died.
Just moments before the crash Ervin McKinness gave a glimpse of what was going on in the car just moments before the crash.
On Twitter McKinness' account is @ink2flashyy, he said at 1:20 a.m., “Drunk (expletive) going 120 drifting corners, YOLO.” In Twitter and text speak, YOLO means, “You only live once.”
Followed by, “Driving tweeting sipping the cup (expletive) yolo I’m turning it up,” that would be his last tweet as he and his friends were killed.
McKinness wasn’t actually driving; it was Watson, but the Tweets indicate the men were intoxicated and obviously distracted.
According to the NHTSA, at least 3,000 people were killed by distracted drivers in 2010.
Just one distraction, like being drunk or texting, can be very, very dangerous, but combine one or more distractions and that is a recipe for disaster. Distractions harm so many including those who face criminal charges for the harm they cause.
Personal injuries or deaths are costly on both the emotional and financial scale. When the victims or their families deserve compensation they can look to an accident attorney to fight for them and obtain a favorable judgment.
