Althouse: "A boozed-up driver tore through a 96-year-old woman’s Long Island house Monday..."

May 29, 2012

"A boozed-up driver tore through a 96-year-old woman’s Long Island house Monday..."

"... spinning such a devastating path of destruction that the stove wound up in the back yard...."

Great pic at the link.

33 comments:

ndspinelli said...: That house hit was Big Brooklyn Style.; 5/29/12, 8:56 AM
Joaquin said...: Heading to the Hamptons in a red convertible Benz at 4am with some guy! What can possibly go wrong?; 5/29/12, 8:58 AM
Eric the Fruit Bat said...: It's a shame the hole isn't car-shaped like in the cartoons.; 5/29/12, 9:12 AM
Tim said...: Driving drunk is hard.

But, obviously, not wrong.

Too bad about the damage though.; 5/29/12, 9:17 AM
Larry J said...: Looks like her sugar daddy's Mercedes is going to need some work. She should have a nice stint in jail to reflect on her life choices.; 5/29/12, 9:21 AM
Scott said...: "Anderson [the driver] refused to take a Breathalyzer or blood test, cops said, and was charged with driving while intoxicated."

So if she refuses alcohol intoxication testing, is that going to improve her chances of not being convicted for drunk driving?; 5/29/12, 9:24 AM
ndspinelli said...: Scott. Implied consent. Our former Wi. Attorney General learned that lesson.; 5/29/12, 9:26 AM
CWJ said...: Years ago, our paper carried a similar story only the photo showed the car ending up in the backyard swimming pool. It was a good how could that happen laugh, and then we recognized the house. It was a neighbor up the street.; 5/29/12, 9:28 AM
X said...: locating a house at a T is sub-optimal, but if it's done, a couple of boulders in the front yard are a good idea. it's not like this is rare.; 5/29/12, 9:30 AM
edutcher said...: These stories aren't that rare, but usually stay local.

That it happened in Noo Yawk in the Internet era means everybody hears about it.; 5/29/12, 9:32 AM
Paddy O said...: She's ready to be elected to Congress!; 5/29/12, 9:58 AM
Anonymous said...: I love people's obsession with drunk or "boozed up" driving, as if this would have been totally okay if the driver had been sober or that being drunk somehow makes it worse.; 5/29/12, 10:10 AM
Hagar said...: Barney Frank is very crude and not all that bright.
To say something like that on that other guy's big day shows him for what he is.; 5/29/12, 10:10 AM
Hagar said...: How did my last comment get over to this thread?; 5/29/12, 10:13 AM
ndspinelli said...: Ken, That's a profoundly stupid comment. You win the stupid comment thread. Congrats. Your hero was smart, you're not.; 5/29/12, 10:24 AM
alan markus said...: These stories aren't that rare, but usually stay local.

Picture at Milwaukee Journal Online shows a house in Mequon (suburb north of Milwaukee) that got crashed by an SUV last night.; 5/29/12, 10:25 AM
ndspinelli said...: alan markus, Wi. is the alcoholic capitol of the US.; 5/29/12, 10:32 AM
alan markus said...: a couple of boulders in the front yard are a good idea

That works for me - many years ago my mother-in-law lived in an isolated area and had a circular driveway. Sometimes ass-hats would decide to use her driveway to turn around, but would cut across the lawn and tear up the grass by spinning their wheels. There were several painted boulders that I hated mowing around. One night I had stayed overnight and had heard a commotion during the night. At day light when I looked down from the 2nd story bedroom, I saw one of the boulders had been pushed into the middle of the lawn. You could see by the tire tracks that after hitting the boulder, the car backed up and left real nice without spinning the wheels. The boulder needed to be repainted - too much scraping marks from the car's oil pan.; 5/29/12, 10:34 AM
ndspinelli said...: Hagar, brain fart. No biggie.; 5/29/12, 10:43 AM
traditionalguy said...: When planning to take your vehicle airborne it is very wise to become blind drunk first.

The cars of blind drunks are often total wrecks and the drivers are miraculously unharmed. Maybe relaxing is the trick. Either that or God does watch out over drunks.; 5/29/12, 10:45 AM
kimsch said...: They (Mercedes-Benz) should use that in a commercial. The driver and her passenger sustained only minor injuries even after passing completely through a house and hitting a tree.; 5/29/12, 10:58 AM
Anonymous said...: ndspinelli,

Ken, That's a profoundly stupid comment. You win the stupid comment thread. Congrats. Your hero was smart, you're not.

Well, I guess you got me there, what with all the logic that you mustered to make your argument.; 5/29/12, 12:22 PM
ndspinelli said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/29/12, 12:46 PM
ndspinelli said...: Ok Ken, Here's just one reason why it's worse. BECAUSE THE LAW STATES IS WORSE. You're a disgrace to Breitbart. How about a picture of Mortimer Snerd instead.; 5/29/12, 12:58 PM
jeff said...: "BECAUSE THE LAW STATES IS WORSE"

Not much of a argument. Even with all caps. The damage and/or injuries are no better or worse either.; 5/29/12, 1:31 PM
Anonymous said...: ndspinelli,

Ok Ken, Here's just one reason why it's worse. BECAUSE THE LAW STATES IS WORSE.

Ah, yes, the logical fallacy of argument from authority. You can't give a meaningful reason as to why it's worse, but some legislators think so and passed a law saying so, so it must be true. Amaright?; 5/29/12, 1:52 PM
Big Mike said...: @Ken, if a person is sober (and not distracted by texting or sexting or whatever) and drives all the way through a house then a reasonable person assumes that there was a mechanical malfunction of the vehicle.

If the person is drunk, especially if there are no signs of braking, then a reasonable person assumes that alcoholic impairment is the root cause of the accident.; 5/29/12, 2:29 PM
ndspinelli said...: Big Mike, Don't bother. If I got Ken's name and dob I'm guessing we would find a few DUI's. He's not only stupid, this fairly innocuous post hit a nerve w/ Mortimer.; 5/29/12, 3:09 PM
ndspinelli said...: And yes Ken..Big Brother is infringing on your right to smoke crystal meth, drink cheap bourbon, and kill people w/ your car. You're an absolute disgrace to your photo. Breitbart is turning in his grave.

Righteous people don't need the law. Self righteous people don't give a shit about the law or their fellow man. Most people need the law to protect others and themselves.; 5/29/12, 3:14 PM
Anonymous said...: Big Mike,

if a person is sober (and not distracted by texting or sexting or whatever) and drives all the way through a house then a reasonable person assumes that there was a mechanical malfunction of the vehicle.

Why would you assume that? That would have to be proven.

And what if a drunk person what driving a similarly mechanical malfunctioning car? Does the fact that he's drunk somehow change the physics of that malfunction?

Additionally, the most distracting thing in a car is another passenger and the most distracting thing in a car with only a driver (and what I mean by "most distracting" is that this distraction is "responsible" for more collisions than any other distraction), are you prepared to outlaw driving with other people and having radios in the car?

ndspinelli,

If I got Ken's name and dob I'm guessing we would find a few DUI's.

Ha! Nice to see that your imagination and while guessing is just as good as, you know, actual facts.

Big Brother is infringing on your right to smoke crystal meth, drink cheap bourbon, and kill people w/ your car.

I think it's hilarious that you equate smoking crytal meth and drinking cheap bourbon with killing people. Maybe I'm asking the question wrong, so I'll reword it: if I kill someone while stone cold sober and you kill someone while stinking drunk, who is more to blame? Does it matter that you are drunk and I am sober?

Self righteous people don't give a shit about the law or their fellow man.

First, aren't you the one passing judgment on those who drink and getting all self-righteous about it?

Do you really think that legislation is about "giv[ing] a shit about... their fellow man"?; 5/29/12, 3:41 PM
Leon said...: I like how her mom is blindly optimistic about her daughter. She said she is working in restaurants and applying to schools. Not actually getting accepted or going, just you know, applying.; 5/29/12, 6:42 PM
ndspinelli said...: Drinking and driving is the problem Mortimer. Many of us are encouraging you to drink yourself to death..in your living room. My God you really are too stupid to live.; 5/29/12, 6:48 PM
ndspinelli said...: And Mort, I can tell by your response you do have issues w/ substance abuse. Get to a meeting.; 5/29/12, 6:52 PM