Another drunk wrong-way driver kills someone on I-75

"How drunk do you have to be to live in this area (thus presumably knowing the roads) and still get on the highway driving in the wrong direction?"

Exactly. I mean damn, you'd have to be pretty ripped to not notice the median is on the wrong side.

/sarcasm font on/ Ain't alcohol great? /sarcasm font off/

Maybe they need to create a device that senses wrong way drivers and pops up a 20 ton steel barrier with flashing lights in their way. I think something like those spikes that pop up in driveways to parking garages and parking lots if you go over them the wrong way.

This is just insane and sad. :(

Yeah it's too bad they can't come up with some type of high-tech solution. Like a computerized system that could detect if a vehicle was going the wrong way down an exit ramp and would send out an emp to disable the vehicle before it actually got onto the highway.

You can't fix stupid.

That is incredibly sad.

i am glad hank is perfect, what a load off everyones shoulders.

I was listening to NPR the other day and they were discussing the nature of increasingly computerized cars. That these cars offer new options and vulnerabilities. I hope that there are high tech solutions coming up....just think of how many high speed car chases that would not happen because the police can remotely turn off a car, or can recover a stolen car based on its onboard computer...

i am glad hank is perfect, what a load off everyones shoulders.

??

I'm not perfect by any means, but I'm also not stupid enough to get behind the wheel so shit-faced that I kill someone driving the wrong way down I-75?

do you think he woke up intending to do that? most all of us have done some really stupid stuff behind the wheel. i know i have, but i guess maybe i am just stupid.or maybe just really thankful.

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on that, because I would never put myself in a position to do that.

Not saying that I'd never get shitfaced, of course, but if that's in the plans for the evening then I have a game plan. And if I haven't made arrangements like that, then I don't get drunk. Its not that difficult to be responsible about drinking, if you give a shit.

i can't believe you or anyone else would be an apologist for the driver.

Insane to even hint at defending this idiot.

IF Christopher Jones was not drunk or under the influence of drugs or somehow otherwise impaired, then wouldn't a reasonable person immediately pull over to the side of the road to avoid a head on collision once they found themselves driving directly into oncoming cars.

"do you think he woke up intending to do that?" - Try asking that question to the family of Matt Davis maybe they will see it your way.

It's never acceptable for anyone of any age to drive intoxicated, but a 35 year old especially should know better.

A quick check of the TMC docket shows a Christopher Jones with the right age having quite a few prior traffic violations.

hey, im not apologizing or making excuses. i guess just counting my blessings because back in the day i was not a very responsible individual.

I can see your point on that one to an extent Ryan. Many people do stupid things when they first start driving and/or first start drinking. Sometimes those things happen in combination, unfortunately.

I'd hope that by the age of 35, a person would know better though. We aren't talking about a 19 year old kid.

(Not that I'd excuse it from a 19 year old either, of course.)

I too think this guy is an idiot. Guess that makes me perfect too in Ryan's purple-skied world.

and if this guy was your brother what would you do? never talk to him? kick him out of the family? never visit him im jail? its a terrible thing that happened. there is no denying that. may the next person to post never have done something wrong that could have led to something devastating like this. thats all i was saying.

Heck, even (some) serial killer's families visit them in prison.

One of my husband's close childhood friends died while driving drunk. The circumstances of his death don't make them miss him any less.

(Though there was at least some sense of relief that it was a single-car accident. He didn't hurt or kill anyone else. It was small consolation, of course, because he still caused his own death. But, I think an already difficult and tragic situation would have been that much worse for his loved ones to deal with, if he had harmed innocent people as well.)

How drunk do you have to be to live in this area (thus presumably knowing the roads) and still get on the highway driving in the wrong direction?

I am amazed by the people I see driving the wrong way on one-way streets. I work downtown and see at least one a week.

So, to answer your question, "Not very, apparently."

Do we know for a fact that the driver was drunk? The article I read in the Blade didn't mention anything about it. WTOL doesn't either. Was there another news report that did?

That was my 3rd or 4th cousin and her boyfriend that was in the car that was hit.

valbee - I've not seen it stated in the official media reports, but have seen comments by family members of the victims.

As a matter of standard procedure, the hospital would have done a blood test to determine the alcohol in his system. The results of that test will then be given to the police, after all the legal paperwork is completed.

The police may not be making any statements to the media about the BAC until they have the results in hand?

(Which is sort of unusual - since when has local media been averse to speculation?)

I wouldn't be surprised if the victims were on their way back from the game as well, given that they had teens/kids in the car with them.

BTW - according to today's Blade, the victims were on their way back from a wedding reception.

(Not that it really matters where they were coming from, but I wanted to update that here since I'd speculated about whether they were coming from the Walleye game.)

"if this guy was your brother what would you do? never talk to him? kick him out of the family? never visit him im jail?"

I'd tell him straight up that he was a f-in idiot and that he needs to pull his head out of his ass and start thinking about the consequences that his decisions can have on other people beside himself.

People need to stop just thinking of themselves and realize that driving intoxicated can have consequences that affect other people. Getting behind the wheel intoxicated at any age makes you a f-in idiot in my book.

Ryan, I've made MANY mistakes in life, but none of them have almost killed someone. This dude is an idiot.

...may the next person to post never have done something wrong that could have led to something devastating like this. thats all i was saying.

Understood. But recklessness and/or negligence in killing someone still carries criminal penalties and public scorn...especially with drunk driving. Consider the organizations--MADD, SADD--, public service announcements, and peer pleadings to not drink and drive. Then you ignore it all and go do it.

Mistake, yes. Terrible, yes. Forgivable by family, probably. But a lives were taken and that family and its supporters has every right to say this person was not only drunk, but stupid, reckless, negligent, etc. and place all the blame directly on his shoulders.

Drunk-driving, even though it goes on and probably will always go on (because people believe they can get away with it "again"), is indefensible nowadays. I'm well on my way to 40 yrs old and anti-drunk driving PSAs have been on TV all of my life, not to mention knowing checkpoints are up many weekends. I've been driven home. I've had to go reclaim my car from 20 miles away the next day ( really late the next day...damn hangovers). The "macho" of handling your liquor that used to accompany drunks on the road has evaporated and at 35, this person should have known his limit, his responsibilities, and to hand over the keys.

I think that's all everyone else here was saying.

3rd wrong way crash within this stretch in the past six months. I live right across the highway from these

Just because a person does something to almost or even cause another's death, doesn't get them a "Free pass" to not be criticized.
The person was careless, stupid, and being called these and other names is the least of what should happen. I don't care if we've all done something stupid or not.
In this day and age of being poitically correct, call a spade a spade. Sticks and stones...remember. Maybe if the last time he did something stupid if he was verbally assaulted, he would have thought more about driving around like an idiot this time.
Sorry, but I feel that if I did the same thing, the last thing I would want is for people to hold back their real feelings about how horrible it was that I'd done.
As far as making more barriers, etc. for wrong way drivers, you won't be able to stop idiots. The bottom line is to hold people more accountable for what they do. Not to dumb down the roads so idiots can drive.

i know i have, but i guess maybe i am just stupid.

Allow me to remove that shadow of doubt from whatever passes for your mind. You're stupid. There is no guesswork nor is there a 'maybe' about it. I offer your recent comments as evidence.

You can't fix stupid.

True, but that doesn't stop people from trying. Aside from the standard warning labels about electric devices and water, the automobile autopilot is a lot closer than most people might believe. Cars can already parallel park automatically, and if your car has an integrated satellite navigation system then the provider can not only track your car, but overseas operators can shut off the engine at will. Auto companies are using this method as an alternative to the traditional repo company, or they can use it to shut down the car if it's stolen. The problem with this is obvious - just imagine sitting on the shoulder of I-75 talking to some minimum wage slave about the status of your lease, your last and final payment and the fact that the title to your car currently resides in your safety deposit box.

What might work is raising the standards for getting and keeping a driver's license.

its amazing how many here have never driven drunk, it really is, kudos to all.

that said, madjack; you're still alive? double kudos.

i am so glad that the internet was invented. otherwise how would everyone make themselves feel better about who they are? all it takes is a few clicks and you can tell everyone how stupid, ugly, perverted, idiotic, lame, and useless they are. all the while puffing out ones chest.

i suggest most of you put the computer away and take out a mirror.

take a chill pill and realize we are disgusted with the situation. this is not about you

Before the internet, people did have actual face to face conversations. We really did call people stupid, ugly, perverted, idiotic, lame and useless.
Funny how they survived such abuse too.

how about a spring loaded exit ramp? the "do not enter" sign would still be there but that section of the exit would be floating in air when no car are on it. Of course, someone could drive under the elevated ramp but that would do no good. As they would run off the road into a moat or shark infested water. When the "draw-bridge exit ramp" is needed as a car approaches, them "traffic monitoring" could trigger a limit switch to lower it. hydraulic cylinder???

What happened here is a tragedy. For whatever reason, the person made a horrific mistake and it cost lives. Drunk or not, this person will have to live with the results of his actions. My brother died as a result of driving while intoxicated 15 years ago and believe me, it sure makes me think twice before getting behind the wheel. Bottom line is that I now make the decision that I could not live with myself if I were ever to take someone else's life due to my selfishness and don't drive after having a drink.

I'm no where close to perfect never have been and never will be. I did some really stupid stuff in my teenage years. I can honestly say I have never drove home drunk though. It never even crossed my mind because #1 I didn't wanna kill anyone. #2 even at 21 years old my dad would have beat the shit out of me for being such a f'in idiot, and I know I would have deserved it.

Heck even today if I did something that stupid he'd beat the shit out of me and can't say I'd fight back either because again I know I would deserve it.

I either called my dad or my brother to come pick me up and then had them take be back the next day to pick up my vehicle. Was it a pita the next day?? Yep, but not so much so that it was worth maybe killing myself or someone else.

Well before the age of 35 you learn your personal capacity and ability or inability to tolerate alcohol. Sadly there's been no shortage of examples of what can happen if you drive drunk. If he was drunk, there's just no excuse whatsoever.

Even he he gets sober, stays sober, and uses his experience to try to warn others before they make the same mistake he can never, ever, undo what's been done.

I'm waiting though for the official word that he was intoxicated. Maybe it was a medical issue. I've personally seen someone with an out of control diabetic reaction make nearly the same error in judgement. In fact this peron died from diabetes in her 50's in a nursing home. She never was able to get it under control. She would appear to be intoxicated.

Update: 13ABC has a story indicating that Christopher Jones is suspected of being under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.

The article states that the police should have the official results of his blood tests in a week to 10 days.

(Note - the reason it would take this long is due to the legal process to get the records released. The results would have actually been available to the medical providers that day. Just in case anyone was wondering why the delay.)

http://www.13abc.com/story/15714705/new-information-in-wrong-way-crash-on-i-75

Talk to my mom tonight she said that Dawn has some broken limbs and ribs, unsure about any other injuries. She didn't know about how the kids were. Will probably find out more tomorrow.

so sorry for your family. our thoughts and prayers go out to them

Monday's Blade reported that Jones is from Perrysburg. Wednesday edition says he is from Toledo. Are we talking about two people with the same name?