Senseless Tragedy

Cynthia Furr and her 2-year-old daughter McAllister died last Saturday, the victims of

two drivers street racing.

It has taken me a few days to be able to post about this story. Things like this make my blood boil--senseless fatalities, stupid actions, all by people old enough to know better.

This past Saturday, here in NC, a twenty-year-old man, Tyler Stasko, and a FORTY-FOUR-year-old woman, Carlene Carol Atkinson, decided to race on a public road at a little after 6pm. Of course, the race got out of hand, and the car Stasko was driving plowed into the car of a woman innocently driving out of her neighborhood. She, her two-year-old daughter, and a thirteen-year-old boy who was riding with them were all killed.

I have read comments from readers of the articles about this case that feel passionately about the punishment the drivers should receive, and several people have commented that the intent was not there. No one intended to kill anyone. Excuse me, but if you are driving a 3000 pound vehicle at top speed on a public road at 6pm in the afternoon, you lose the option to claim no intent as far as I am concerned. If you are over the age of six, you know that this is dangerous, stupid and could cause your death or someone else's. By the age of 20, and certainly by the age of 44, you can well grasp this concept.

Here in the Charlotte area, it seems we have a problem with street racing, and I think it's time we started treating these incidents for what they are: serious crimes; and when innocent people die because of these actions, it is MURDER, plain and simple.

Another piece of information that contributes to my strong feelings about this case are that Stasko already had a traffic violation under his belt, for failing to stop at a stop sign and having no operator's license. But Atkinson had 16, yes SIXTEEN speeding tickets already behind her. AND she left the scene as soon as Stasko crashed, not waiting to see the aftermath, or take responsibility for her part in it.

Nothing will bring back the victims. But we shouldn't wait for one more senseless tragedy before we get tough on these crimes.

Related articles:

Investigators seize 2nd car suspected of racing

Driver in fatal wreck jailed

Woman linked to wreck has 16 tickets

photo courtesy of www.charlotteobserver.com