Thursday, April 12, 2012
Source: Westerly Sun
Four-hundred-eighty-two Westerly High School juniors and seniors are sitting in the bleachers at the football field on a bright spring morning, watching six dead and one critically injured teen being extricated from two wrecked cars.
Another girl in a glittery prom dress is being administered sobriety and breathalyzer tests by a Westerly police officer. She fails both and is led away in handcuffs. The dead, played by student actors, lie very still on the ground, convincingly smeared with fake blood. Emergency workers finally cover them with dirty white sheets and walk away.
The spectators are quiet and serious. They know that this scenario is being staged for their benefit, but it still looks disturbingly real.
Westerly senior Sarah Duggan, of Students Against Destructive Decisions, had been planning this event since last December, and timed it so it would take place close to the senior prom. She said she would be happy if the message prevented even a single teen from drinking and driving. “Even if it’s just one person. I just hope someone doesn’t try to get drunk,” she said.
The event began in the gymnasium with a video produced by Students Against Destructive Behavior, showing how making poor decisions like drinking alcohol can affect the lives of families far beyond those directly involved in accidents.
Cathy Andreozzi, whose gifted, athletic daughter Tori Lynn was left permanently disabled after being hit by a drunk driver, also spoke about the disastrous consequences of making bad decisions such as driving drunk.
“It’s something we do every other year,” Westerly High School Principal Steven Ruscito said. “We have actors from the video — the video that had those two cars, two different groups of kids, one doing the right thing, one doing the wrong thing, and by happenstance, those two cars have collided.”
The students then walked to the football field and watched as Westerly police, Westerly and Pawcatuck firefighters and the Westerly and Ashaway Ambulance Corps converged on the scene and began to extricate the victims, in one case cutting away the frame of a mangled car.
“I’m sure many of them have never seen anything like this,” said Westerly Police Capt. Shawn Lacey. “This is about as ‘real life’ as it gets as far as a mock situation. When you start talking about serious injuries and death and you look at the damage to the cars as they start cutting the cars up, it will definitely have an effect on them as to what actually happens.”
Senior Ben Duerr and junior Jacob Ahern watched the drama unfold. Both said they liked the growing trend of students sharing the cost of a limousine and driver on prom night, because it kept teens from getting behind the wheel.
“It gives them a guaranteed arrival point,”Ahern said.
Duerr added, “It’s dumb for them to drink in the first place, but it’s definitely a guaranteed safer way.”
As the six bodies lay covered on the field, a Lifestar helicopter landed nearby to transport a victim who was critically injured.
The teens’ attention began to wander and some began to chatter and laugh.
“We do it because we do believe it makes a difference,” Ruscito said of the event. “It’s tough. When you’re young, you don’t think it’s going to happen in your neighborhood, or happen in your life…or you’ve got control of it.”
The students started walking back to class.
“Can I go with you?” one girl shouted at the helicopter as it lifted off and flew away, carrying the critically injured “victim” to the nearest trauma center.
“Take me with you!” she said, laughing.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Source: Johnston Insider
A wrecked car sits in front of Johnston High School as a reminder to students what can result from just one bad decision. Insider photos by Beth Hurd
By BETH HURD, Insider Reporter
With the Johnston High School senior prom scheduled for Friday, May 27, (at Newport’s Viking Hotel) members of the school community and the town have done everything they can – as they do each year – to make sure the students get the message: Don’t drink and drive.
In the school’s parking lot sits a car wreck, a visible reminder of what can be the result of any number of bad decisions: drinking and driving, reckless driving, driving while texting or talking on the phone, or getting into a car in which the driver has been drinking.
The students also got a dose of “Don’t Drink and Drive” messages during a visit on May 13 to the school by the Cathy Andreozzi, mother of Tory Lynne Andreozzi, now paralyzed, a victim of a drunk-driving crash. Another group of students visited the ACI on Wednesday, May 18, to attend a session of “Zero Fatalities,” to hear from several inmates currently incarcerated for making similar bad decisions, in which death resulted.
Both the school speaker and the ACI trip were sponsored by the Johnston Coalition to Prevent Substance Abuse, which offered students attending the trip to be entered into a raffle for free prom tickets. (Durham Bus also donated the use of two buses for the trip.)
At the ACI, which currently houses 1,019 inmates, serving sentences of 90 days or more, students were met by Jake Sullivan, a prosecutor.
“They’re my least favorite cases to prosecute,” he said of those incarcerated for the results of their bad decision-making.
Sullivan asked how many of the seniors were 17 and how many were 18.
“It doesn’t matter,” he said – they would be prosecuted as adults if caught drinking and driving.
“In Rhode Island, we see 50 deaths involving teens, on average a year. When you break it down, that’s four a month,” Sullivan pointed out.
He also said the greatest reason for teen fatalities (between the ages of 16 and 22) – a full 25 percent – is inexperience.
“Who’s going to die this month? Nobody thinks it’s going to happen to him/her,” Sullivan said.
He said 26 out of the 38 Rhode Island cities and towns had lost teens to DWI and reckless driving crashes in the last five years. “It’s not just a Rhode Island problem, it’s not just a Barrington problem,” he said.
Sullivan asked how many had seen road-side crosses and memorials – several had, and called out where they were located; Sullivan knew most of the locations, and could name the victim involved in each.
“For me as a prosecutor, it’s not just another death – it’s real people, it’s sons and daughters, your classmates – and that’s just the dead kids,” he said.
Behind him, a projector showed images of newspaper clippings of teen fatalities from around the state.
Sullivan asked how many wore a seatbelt each time they drove or rode in a car – almost all raised their hands.
“Last year, 45 teens were killed – 43 weren’t wearing their seatbelts,” he said. “Who do teens kill? You don’t kill your family members, you don’t go out drinking with your parents – you kill your friends. These cases do not discriminate, rich or poor, black or white – it doesn’t matter how rich your parents are, you’re still going to jail, or you’re still dead.”
The inmates who shared their stories weren’t much older than the seniors attending the “Zero Fatalities” class.
Brandy Graff of Coventry was a senior in high school, her parents away for the week. She had been drinking when left a beach party on April 20, 2005, and killed two elderly sisters who “were taking the scenic route home.”
“It was at 6:30 p.m. – not at 2 a.m. It was the best year of my life – I made poor choices. It started when I was 16,” she said.. “I had heard the same messages at assemblies at my school, but I chose not to hear it – I hope I don’t see any of you guys in here.”
“I was 18, it was school vacation, my parents were going to be out of the country – it was going to be the best week of my life,” she recalled. “I didn’t even make it 24 hours. It’s been six years, but it still feels like it was yesterday. I didn’t kill my best friends, but I killed two innocent people.”
Graff said she thought she “knew my limit.” She had also, on many occasions, gotten into a car driven by someone else who had been drinking.
“Every body thinks it’s a rite of passage. If you drink, you will make bad choices,” she said. “You guys are planning to go to college? My college money went to lawyers – very expensive lawyers.”
“Anderson” was 18 and on Shea High School’s basketball and football teams when he killed his best friend Chris, age 21. “I started going to parties, doing things I never thought I’d do,” he said. Anderson started drinking in 10th grade, as well as doing drugs.
On March 6, 2006, he had just bought a new car, having worked hard to earn the money. “I had been drinking but I didn’t think I was too intoxicated to drive – that was the first mistake,” he recalled. He and his friend Chris drove the new car to a party in Smithfield, and crashed into a stone wall – neither were wearing seatbelts.“The only thing that saved me was the air bag,” Anderson said.
“Your friends move on with their lives, I’m stuck here,” he told them. “Every day is the same, there’s a lot of people in here, but it’s the loneliest place.”
“Patrick” was given 37 years, 15 to serve. He killed his three best friends, two of whom were brothers. On Oct. 29, 2006, he was driving an estimated 60 to 80 miles per hour when his car crashed. He hardly ever sees his wife and son. “Jake” was given 15 years, eight to serve. He had been captain of the football and track teams at his school, got good grades, “dated pretty girls,” had never done anything wrong.
He now shares a small cell where the toilet is a few feet from his cot and he has to shower with 120 guys in an open room with four shower heads. “I was just like you – I never thought it would happen to me,” he said, even though he had a best friend who had been killed in a drunk-driving accident.
On July 19, 2004, “Jake” had just turned 21, and owned his own restaurant; he came up behind a Jeep he thought was going too slow so he got in front of it and tapped his brakes. The 17-year-old driver of the Jeep, in which there were three other teens, lost control of his car, which flipped before crashing. The driver was ejected from the car because he wasn’t wearing a seatbelt. “Jake,” who initially left the scene but then called 911, was charged with reckless driving, death resulting.
“I spent hours in a police station crying my eyes out – I had never been in trouble before, no one in my family had ever been arrested before,” he said. “They don’t care. That night I was sleeping in a cell with a ‘double-life-plus-life’ murderer. All my best friends left; my girlfriend of three years left me within 10 days.”
The last speaker was Dan Corvese, father of 16-year-old Jon Corvese, who was a passenger in a car when he was killed on Nov. 5, 2007, in a drunk-driving accident. His best friend, also age 16, had been driving. Jon had been a member of the Barrington High School varsity soccer team, and thousands attended his wake and funeral.
Corvese, who never imagined that he and his wife would have to plan a funeral for a child or pick out clothes for him to wear in his casket, urged the JHS students to close their eyes for a moment and imagine their own parents standing before a casket, holding a “prayer card” imprinted with their own name. “I’m doing this for Jon – we’re doing this to save lives,” said Corvese.
Sullivan reminded the seniors that new laws against texting while driving also are to save lives. Tests show that when traveling 70 miles an hour, a vehicle travels about 100 feet a second – take your eyes off the road for three to four seconds to read or type a text, you’ve gone 300 to 400 feet.
“That’s how accidents happen – and you don’t ever just have one victim,” said Sullivan.
Johnston Police, for its part, conducts frequent “party patrols” and the school’s student resource officers have a presence at all school dances (the sophomore semi-formal and junior proms have already been held this year).
In another initiative prompted by Johnston’s Coalition to Prevent Substance Abuse, Johnston High School’s SADD organization – Students Against Destructive Decisions – have been working to create a SADD group at Ferri Middle School. On Friday, May 20, students from both schools created a “Chain of Life,” which was hung in the cafeteria of Ferri Middle School, hoping to get the message out sooner.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Eight years ago Lauren Kearney honored her fallen friend by donning a white gi for her performance on the nighttime stage at the 2003 Ocean State Grand Nationals. This year, 2011 and every day in between, she has continued to honor her young friend through the way in which she lives her life and in the way she shares her love and knowledge of the martial arts. Her greatest contribution to this art form, I believe, is in the way she has mentored and inspired others. This weekend is an example of that inspiration.
Tori loved the martial arts and aspired to reach the very top. She showed it through her approach to training and her approach to life. Even at a young age she showed the ability to lead. I clearly remember a time when only 10 years old, she was asked along with her brother to be a guest instructor at a summer training camp at a school in Massachusetts. She walked through the reception area and into the dojo with a confidence well beyond her years, looked her charges straight in the eye and began her lesson. She started by giving a short demonstration of a traditional form-saying as she performed-“traditional forms are about stances and focus and, having said that…let’s get started”. Unfortunately Tori was not able to complete what she started because of a choice of another.
The Winds of Change was about so much more than a free seminar. It was about what you CAN do, what you CAN be and what you NEED to do to get there. It was and is about the choices we make in life as individuals and about how those choices can have far reaching consequences, both positive and negative, so far beyond ourselves. It is how the choices you make in life dictate how those moments play out and how they will become either moments you long to relive or live to regret.
The Winds of Change is a moment to relive. It brought together individuals and entire teams to stand alongside one another and participate in something that celebrated a sport they love and supported a concept that when adopted, changes the future. It changes the future by ensuring that we as individuals will think through the choices we make and act in accordance with a positive outcome. It acknowledges there is a CHOICE in every MOMENT, celebrating the COURAGE found to make a difference and guarantee HOPE for the future of all.
John Paul Mitchell Systems and Macho Products Incorporated added to the success of our event with their support.
To the members of Change The Game-thank you. It is an honor to have met you and worked alongside you. Your commitment is visible through your thought, word and deed.
Team Paul Mitchell. We have always felt a special affinity throughout the years and now are forever bonded. You gave of your time, and of yourself-we are incredibly humbled and thankful to have had this opportunity to work together.
For 18 years, I have had the pleasure of knowing Don and Christine Rodrigues, the promoters of the OSGN and to be able to call them coach, Shihan, Sensei and friend. With all of the responsibility and commotion that engulfs them for months out of the year in preparation for this event they are always still able to be there for others when needed. They have been a great source of comfort and support for our family. And, to be able to host the Winds of Change at this event was incredibly meaningful. The OSGN, our hometown tournament, was always our premiere event, everyone wanted to win in their own backyard. This weekend we won big. To say thank you seems inadequate. To repay them is impossible. The OSGN, and its promoters, Don and Christine Rodrigues, are living examples of what we can accomplish when making choices in our lives that leave a positive impact on ourselves and others.
It has been incredibly gratifying to read the feedback of this event. People have shared how they believe the Winds of Change has changed their outlook on life. There seems to be a prevailing feeling of gratitude for the blessings bestowed on them in life and a conscious effort to not take things for granted. Life as you know it can change in a moment. Take a moment to make the change right for you and your future. Remember…, only you can power THE WINDS OF CHANGE.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Eight years have passed, and reflection of those years, especially the early days, have consumed me. I have found the need to revisit them. To be able to fully appreciate where we are now I needed to fully remember where we had been. And with the embracing of that memory comes a flood of so many others – memories from before the crash and how life “used” to be.
When I began to Journal I titled each entry by noting the Day. Entries titled, Day 61 Memorial Day or Day 80 Angels. When I journaled Day 365 Moments, I vowed that to survive and to move forward it would be necessary to start anew and with that I withdrew the practice of counting the days. At least in theory – for in my heart and in my mind the tally continues.
And so, now it has been 2920 days since I heard my little girl say my name and wrap her arms around me. It has been 96 months without my co-pilot joining me in song while driving down the road and it has been 8 years filled with sadness, loss, uncertainty and fear. It would be remiss of me not to state that it has also been 8 years filled with unconditional love. For I realize that even with, or in spite of, all of the pain – there is still joy. It is in the quiet moments, in the little victories we see our greatest accomplishments and feel the greatest love.
I believe that with life there is hope. I believe in honoring my daughters indominable spirit. I believe in seeing the glass half full . And while I can not bring myself to say ” I believe everything happens for a reason,” I do know that my reason for facing and embracing life as I do is because of a pair of big chocolate brown eyes that stare back into mine.
I also believe in Angels. We have been blessed with them from the beginning and the following entry speaks to that belief.
A beam of light split the darkness. Slowly the thin ray widened creating a surreal illuminated path in the room. And without warning, an object stepped into the light. She stood unmoving, bathed in the glow creating a soft edge to her silhouette. I rubbed the delusion of sleep from my eyes, trying to wrap my consciousness around our visitor.
I shifted in the hospital conversion chair. A unique contraption, a poor substitute but welcome gift of a bed. As I rustled to attention a voice interrupted the silence and a peaceful feeling settled about the room.
This was the first of what was to be many visits. She always came in the dark of night – becoming part of my restless sleep. She came to speak of angels and her name was Paula. Latin in origin, Paula means small or humble. Yet there was nothing small about our angel of the night. Her impact was immense. It was as though she entered our shelter and spread her winds, engulfing and protecting us from what lurked in the shadows. Always after her visits I was able to put my head down, close my eyes and give way to slumber.
One morning I awoke to find a book, The Sacred Magic of the Angels, on the table next to me. I searched my mind faintly remembering seeing Paula float effortlessly through our room in the quiet of the night. Tori was not yet awake and I took advantage of this time to become acquainted with our gift. The Chapters spoke of Transition, The Language of Omens, and The Healing Tree of Life. Flipping through the pages I sensed it would speak to bands of Angels and their presence in our everyday life. I longed for an opportunity to press Paula for information about her choice in reading material. She appeared that very evening. And as we sat huddled around the faint bulb of a nightlight, her features took on a heavenly serene transformation. “Petition the Angels,” she said. “Make your intentions known.” Her voice, barely a whisper, danced in the air. Its melodic tone entertained my ears as she spoke of the process by which our Angels reveal themselves in our time of need. We must have sat for hours and yet suddenly the morning sun tempted the night sky with its brilliance, teasing the horizon with barely a hint of what was to come. And then she was gone.
Now awakened, blindfold removed, I saw Angels everywhere. How had I not noticed before? They seemed to be around every bend. Later that evening as Tori slept I was lulled by the machines that constantly monitored her vitals. While sleep did not come, inspiration did and I journaled until the dawn. Finished, I felt refreshed. For so long I struggled to prop barriers against the door of doom. To be able to face each day it was imperative the door not be opened.
I feared once it did the grief would barge through and we would be trapped together bound by walls with no means of egress. Yet something was different now. A new strength was building. I could feel the walls of my resolve reinforced. The structure steadied and readied against any impending intruder. I was ready for whatever was to come. The Angels were here.
Our visits with Paula soon came to an end. Tori was being moved to the second floor. She was now deemed to be medically stable. While this should have been perceived as a victory, the initial reaction was one of fear. The notion of a new floor, a new team of caregivers and a room at a considerable distance from the nurse’s station started to knock at the door of my resolve. Breathing deep and calling upon the Angels I was able to put things in perspective. One floor down, one floor closer to the door meant one step closer to home and to the recovery we so desired.
Paula’s visits helped to prepare us for this transition. Our discussions held clues to the Omens lining the path. The healing tree of life, much like my earlier miracle tree which bloomed with progress, was rooted in our faith and in our soul. The Angel of the night guided us further on our journey. Step by step. One baby step at a time.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Today I came across some journal entries, originally written while in Franciscan Hospital. The sentiment in this entry holds true even today. The promise of rebirth and renewal; the promise of Spring.
After two weeks of constant bedside vigil in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, a reprieve was long overdue. Concerned nurses pointed out to us continually it was okay to take a break. They finally won out and were able to convince us to actually take a walk, to leave the unit and with it, our daughter. I pressed a paper with my cell number into the hand of the nurse manager. She assured me they would call immediately should something happen. Who would have thought there was need for such orchestration just to go and get a cup of coffee?
And walk we did, gingerly stepping away from our little girl’s hospital bed. Looking over my shoulder, I walked slowly as though testing each step. Walking on a pond of ice, listening for the cracks or other telltale signs the bottom is out to fall away. I let out a sigh of relief when it seemed secure and something solid was underfoot. Then without communicating, my pace quickened as did the beat of my heart when turning my back on the doors of the unit. Once passed, they began to close automatically. The telltale click of closure echoed in my ears. I stopped, breathed and summoning up strength, continued on.
The path to the cafeteria took us by a courtyard. The large palladium window in the corridor revealed a stark site. A large barren tree filled the view. This tree would become a focal point for me on these walks which were to become a daily routine.
While in the cafeteria we did receive a call. The doctors had arrived and a decision had been made. Today they would attempt to remove the tube that breathed life into our daughter’s lungs.
Racing back to the PICU, passing the barren tree, my eye caught site of a glimmer of white. A single bud stood out among the blackness. Without hesitation my heart declared, “Tori begins to bloom today.”
Once back to the unit a team began to assemble. Trauma specialists, respiratory technicians, pulmonary doctors, neurologists and a host of nurses coupled with residents and medical students gathered just outside of the room. I watched the Unit’s primary physician move to the middle of those assembled and begin to rundown the situation. The quarterback was calling the play. And like a well practiced team they all began to take their positions on the field. Each prepared to carryout their individual task, to work in unison towards the ultimate touchdown. Some were skeptical such a daring play would succeed. Others knew it could not fail.
Tori had a cheerleader. One persistent, dedicated young and optimistic nurse. Stacey. She was the ultimate pep rally. Just days prior she demonstrated to a less than impressed doctor why she knew Tori could be extabated. Much to his segrin, she climbed onto the hospital bed, strattled Tori and pointing to her throat, indicated the ever so slightly noticeable new movement. Hurray for our side as the doctor consented to try.
And so here we are, the home team getting ready for the big play. We stood on the sidelines barely breathing as we watched the carefully choreographed movements. Truthfully it was difficult to see exactly what was happening. In retrospect that is probably best. The team seemed to huddle even closer together creating a tight circle around the hospital bed. The respiratory technician with his hand on a switch, anxiously awaited his orders. And with the countdown, “1, 2, 3”, it was done. The tube was removed and all that remained was to see if Tori could finish out the play. The first indication of success was the burden that seemed to be lifted off of everyone’s shoulders. They somehow seemed taller. And while it did not mean that we had won or that the game was over, we were on our way.
My thoughts turned immediately to the single bud I witnessed earlier. I became obsessed with visualizing the transformation of that tree being a symbol of my daughter’s progress. And like the tree, she too would bloom. I desperately looked forward to spring. After prayers of thanks and tears of joy we returned to Tori’s bedside. The team faded away watching diligently from the sidelines ready to spring into action should something go astray. Thoughts returned to the tree, my miracle tree.
Light poured through the windows. A new day dawned and spring was in the air. The success of the extubation lightened our hearts. We felt renewed. The tree would tell me more. This time when we took a walk to the cafeteria we walked lighter, more certain of our path. As we rounded a corner I caught a glimpse of the tree. A lump caught in my throat as my initial assessment saw no difference in its appearance. As we neared the windows I could feel the heat of the sun through its glass and my eyes searched for more. And there, tucked around the side of the tree, I saw it. A cluster of buds had burst through. The tree was coming back to life. My spirits soared. But the moment was mine alone. I wasn’t ready to share this observation with anyone just yet. I held tight to my belief that this was an outward sign of renewal, of rebirth. A sign the dead of winter, the darkness of night, will eventually give way to spring and the gift of light.
Friday, May 06, 2011
Sanity is what gets lost in this triangle! Once you go in, the only way out is laughing! An outrageous comedy about two widows whose daughters have moved them into a condo in Las Vegas. The older ladies – full of complaints and pains – meet a gentleman, and the fun begins.
First, enjoy a great buffetin the dining room. Then you will be escorted into the intimate theatre to watch the play. The evening will finish, when back at your table, you are treated to a cabaret.
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
On April 7, 2009 Catherine O’Toole was taken away. Stolen if you will. Taken away from her husband and six children. Taken away was her life in the present and her dreams for the future.
Taken away, a man’s partner, his soul mate, confidant and friend. Dedicated parents living day to day nurturing and preparing their children to embark on quests of their own, they dreamed of a time when they could ride side by side and make new adventures.
Taken away the familiarity and loving touch of a mother and the little things we may all take for granted. No more would a gentle hand pull the covers up to tuck them in bed. No more would there be snacks afterschool or heart to heart conversations of encouragement. This caring woman so in tune to the needs of others was taken away one dark night by a careless, reckless individual who willfully made a choice to drive under the influence.The actions of this individual left a family without their hub, the glue that held them altogether.
On Thursday, July 8th David Hazard will appear before the courts. Unfortunately what has been put before David Hazard is a plea bargain agreement that will sentence him to seven (7) years to serve. In our judicial system time to serve usually equates to two-thirds of the sentence given. How much more does the O’Toole family have to endure? Acceptance of this lenient sentence means also taken away from them is any sense of accountability or justice for the loss, the void that fills them. The O’Toole family is serving a life sentence. A life sentence from which they will never be released as it has taken away their future and their sense of fairness and safety.
In an era when the legislative body is starting to “get it” and have made strides to give law enforcement the tools they need we are seeing a trend towards lighter sentencing. What value life? What message are we sending to deter others from embarking on the same behaviors? The O’Toole family is representative of so many families in Rhode Island and across the country having been initiated into a bizarre and painful world that is a victim family reality.
When is the victim voice heard, when is there a semblance of justice? How long before more is taken away?
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Winds of Change offers all martial artists the opportunity to participate in a free seminar with world re-known Team Paul Mitchell members!
★ Take the Winds of Change Pledge Now ★
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Source: RI.gov
Governor Donald L. Carcieri today joined Colonel Brendan Doherty, Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police, Representatives Peter Kilmartin and Donna Walsh, Senator James E. Doyle, II, and members of the Foote family at a ceremony to formally into law H8515Aaa & S2946aa, the “Colin B. Foote Act.”
The legislation creates a habitual offender violation in the traffic tribunal, where it may suspend or revoke the license, for up to one year, of any individual convicted of four separate and distinct, specifically-defined moving violations within an 18-month period. Under the measure, the driver would also face a fine of up to $1,000 and be ordered to attend 60 hours of driving retraining and perform 60 hours of public community restitution. The bill was introduced in response to a recent accident in which a repeat traffic violator killed Colin B. Foote, a motorcycle driver in Charlestown.
“By enacting this law, we are taking the necessary measures to keep repeat traffic offenders from getting behind the wheel, make our roads safer, and better protect our innocent citizens,” said Governor Carcieri. “The Colin Foote Act will close a loophole in our laws and provide the courts with the tools they need to keep those who have a record of driving dangerously time and time again off of our roads. This was a senseless tragedy that broke all of our hearts. Rhode Island is like one big family. When tragedy touches one of us, it touches us all. And as we have so often before during times of sorrow, our community and our government leaders have responded. As we sign this measure today, we honor the memory of Colin Foote, a hardworking, kind and compassionate young man who had so many talents to share with our world.”
“We're grateful that the Governor, the General Assembly, and the citizens of Rhode Island responded decisively to pass Colin's Law in an effort to prevent another family from having to suffer the horrible tragedy we must now endure. Colin died at the hands of a repeat offender of serious traffic violations, and now law enforcement and the judicial system have the tools to prevent another tragedy,” said Colin's father, Robin Foote.
“I applaud Governor Carcieri for signing this bill into law and giving the courts the tools they need to revoke or suspend the licenses of those motorists who have driven irresponsibly and dangerously on more than one occasion. I can only hope that this new law will prevent senseless tragedies like the one that brought this issue to light in the first place,” said Representative Peter Kilmartin, sponsor of the “Colin B. Foote Act.”
Senator James E. Doyle, II, said, “I thank Governor Carcieri, Representatives Kilmartin and Walsh, and, most of all, the Foote family, for their courage and leadership on this important legislation. While nothing we do can take away the pain and suffering of the Foote family, the signing of this legislation will help to prevent other families from experiencing similar tragedy. In that way, Colin Foote has made Rhode Island a better place.”
Representative Donna Walsh, co-sponsor of the legislation added, “Tightening traffic laws will ensure that repeat offenders are not given several chances to kill and maim innocent victims. With this new law, giving repeat offenders one more chance is no longer an option. I have known the Foote family, who live in my district, for many years, and my heart goes out to them. We worked so hard for passage of this bill to make sure that Colin's life will never be forgotten.”
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Source: CranstonPolice.com
As a service to our residents and the business community, Cranston Police are proud to announce a partnership with GetCrashReports.com to provide online access to all Cranston Rhode Island crash reports. All crash reports will be available 48 hours after the crash occurs (or sooner if approved) except for Fatal crashes and crashes under investigation. Fatal crash reports must be purchased at the Cranston Police Department.
Read the Full Announcement from Colonel Marco Palumbo Jr., of the Cranston Police Department.
