http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025548050Cliffs: DUmmies' Son's friend gets high by huffing, blows thru a stop sign, hits a grandfather and his granddaughter on their bike, kills the grandfather and severely injures the granddaughter. Story starts with how to get the girl off but then a nephew of the grandfather shows up in the thread and somebody else starts posting the rest of the story.
OP, complete with begging link...
Star Member rbrnmw (2,685 posts)
We had a tragedy in our family
Last edited Thu Sep 18, 2014, 09:38 AM - Edit history (3)
My son's best friend was in a traffic accident that killed a man and injured a 7 year-old girl. Her brakes failed she is only 20 she wanted to be a nurse. The Police say she appeared to be under the influence, but she was here about 45 minutes before the accident and she was sober. I hugged her and she was perfectly fine. She had been living here. My son for some reason decided at the last minute not to go. She says she wants to die because she thinks she deserves to die. I am heartbroken for the family and for her. She is being charged with aggravated vehicular homicide and aggravated vehicle assault. Please keep us in your thoughts. My son is devastated and feels helpless and to be honest I feel helpless too. It's. just a horrible situation all the way aroundhttp://www.lancastereaglegazette.com/story/news/local/2014/09/15/deadly-motorcycle-crash/15658131
http://www.gofundme.com/emo6q8
Stupid "healing white light"
Star Member Tikki (11,329 posts)
1. Hug her tight, she needs to know she is loved, no matter the outcome.
<<insert stupid little group hug thingy>>
Tikki
As you will see, some good advice from a DUmmie
Star Member A HERETIC I AM (13,266 posts)
6. She needs an attorney NOW!
I'm sorry that this tragedy has struck so close to home, but this young lady needs to secure legal counsel immediately.
Quick - start building the alibi
Star Member rbrnmw (2,685 posts)
8. She has a court appointed attorney
I wish I could help her but I'm poor myself. I feel she won't get the best legal services and someone needs to inspect her car. They need to prove her brakes failed.
Who me???
MH1 (13,688 posts)
17. Why do they think she was "under the influence"? Did they do blood test / breathalyzer?
She would have been stunned and in shock immediately after the accident. I find it hard to believe that a credible assertion of "appeared under the influence" could be made without hard evidence. But, if they did a breathalyzer and she failed, is it possible that she has previously undiagnosed diabetes, or another condition that could have caused a false positive?
These are a few questions that spring to mind, that hopefully her attorney will be pushing hard.
Good luck and I hope that that you are able to get the evidence of a problem with the brakes, or in any case resolve the situation.
rbrnmw (2,685 posts)
10. She is such a good girl
She is being painted in the local media as a horrible person. I can understand that but a I can't read it all the way through without crying for everyone involved. I can't sleep I am so worried about her.
The poor child and a suggested pitch for funds...
Star Member Old Crow (162 posts)
42. Good job; that took you no time at all.
Last edited Wed Sep 17, 2014, 09:09 AM - Edit history (1)
If I may, I'd like to suggest some tweaks to the wording of the page. Feel free to alter or simply not use what I'm suggesting below. Thanks!
- - -
"Devin Downour Defense Fund"
(I would suggest posting a photo of Devin in lieu of the current photo, which appears to be a random photo of floor tiles. I've taken the liberty of reviewing the photos on Devin's Facebook account and would suggest using this one:
I would also suggest that Devin give her Facebook password to a family or friend and have that family or friend remove all "party" type photos of her ASAP for obvious reasons.)
Devin Downour, 20, of Rushville, Ohio, was involved in a tragic car accident on Sept. 13, 2014. The accident resulted in a fatality and a serious injury. This fund has been established by her family and friends who love her and want to assure that she receives a good legal defense. Devin maintains that her vehicle's brakes failed and that she was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the accident. Please help.
http://www.lancastereaglegazette.com/story/news/local/2014/09/15/deadly-motorcycle-crash/15658131/
For maybe the first time in his life a DUmmie has some good advice...
msanthrope (26,475 posts)
62. Criminal defense attorney here.....
First of all, I am not your attorney, nor am I her attorney, so I will not give you legal advice that should be taken or construed as personal to this case.
Does your family friend have a court-appointed attorney? If so, I would consult with them before fundraising. Fundraising may affect her eligibility as an indigent client of the public defender.
This is an incident that seriously injured a 7 year-old, killed her grandfather, and injured two other people in a car. Without citing liability or assessing blame, I urge you to step back and think carefully as to what your involvement should be.
My understanding is that blood was drawn, and that Ms. Downour indicated to police that she fell asleep while driving at 6:30 p.m. Again...I urge caution and consulting with her attorney before you take other steps.
Whoops - there seems to be more to the story...
Upsetcitizen (5 posts)
69. Honesty is the best Policy
Before you decide to donate to this cause please pay attention to the facts of what happened.
1. She was charged earlier that day with underage consumption at approximately 1 in the afternoon, this accident happened at 6 in the evening. I do find fault however with the officer that charged her earlier in the day, they could have prevented this tragedy from happening by simply taking her to jail at that time. Have a look at her court records online from link:http://www.perrycountycourt.com/Search/
7 Matches Displayed
1 Concerning: Downour, Devin R
D.B.A./A.K.A.:
Filed: 04/15/2013
Arr. Agency: OSP Case #: 1300139
Docket Entry: Click
Charge: OBSTRUCTION
Case Type: Criminal
2 Concerning: Downour, Devin R
D.B.A./A.K.A.:
Filed: 06/23/2014
Arr. Agency: SHF Case #: 1400348A
Docket Entry: Click
Charge: UNDERAGE CONSUM
Case Type: Criminal
3 Concerning: Downour, Devin R
D.B.A./A.K.A.:
Filed: 06/23/2014
Arr. Agency: SHF Case #: 1400348B
Docket Entry: Click
Charge: RESIST ARREST
Case Type: Criminal
4 Concerning: Downour, Devin R
D.B.A./A.K.A.:
Filed: 06/23/2014
Arr. Agency: SHF Case #: 1400348C
Docket Entry: Click
Charge: D.O.C. INTOXED
Case Type: Criminal
5 Concerning: Downour, Devin R
D.B.A./A.K.A.:
Filed: 09/16/2014
Arr. Agency: SNL Case #: 1400533
Docket Entry: Click
Charge: UNDERAGE CONSUM
Case Type: Criminal
6 Concerning: Downour, Devin R
D.B.A./A.K.A.:
Filed: 04/22/2014
Arr. Agency: OSP Case #: 1400594
Docket Entry: Click
Charge: SEAT BELT
Case Type: Traffic
7 Concerning: Downour, Devin R
D.B.A./A.K.A.:
Filed: 09/16/2014
Arr. Agency: SNL Case #: 1401183
Docket Entry: Click
Charge: HEADLIGHT VIOL
Case Type: Traffic
2. Witnesses at the scene observed her and her passenger tossing aerosol cans out of the window into the bushes prior to the cops arriving, which they found. Her passenger fled the scene and was later apprehended with drugs on his person.
3. This young lady was also breaking the state of Ohio law by not having required vehicle insurance. This means that the car that she hit head on which was totaled cannot be replaced because of money problems, the motorcycle that she hit was totaled killing the driver and now his family has incurred funeral expenses which they are having a tough time paying for. The seven year old little girl that was on the motorcycle was life flighted to childrens hospital where she has been in the critical care unit since the accident happened with severe and life threatening injuries. With no car insurance there is no one to pay these hospital bills nor for her what's sure to be outstanding medical debts once she does get to come home. She gets a free court appointed attorney provided for her but these families get nothing.
4. Being that someone had to point out that her partying pictures should be removed from facebook should show alone that she has an issue with intoxication. Not to mention that she is underage to begin with.
5. When the cops arrived on the scene she was observed being abusive towards them. She was tested at the scene for alcohol/drugs and the tests came back as positive before they charged her with the driving under the influence charge.
6. She herself told the cops that she had fallen asleep at the wheel.
7. Unfortunately this young lady has an issue with alcohol/drug abuse. The sad thing is that it took this tragedy, and someones life to bring it to light.
8. Please read the following before making any decisions, I know that it is media, however comments from witnesses on social media also back up what the cops at the incident had stated.
link:http://www.nbc4i.com/story/26527465/intoxicated-driver-arrested-after-deadly-lancaster-crash
link:http://www.10tv.com/content/stories/2014/09/14/lancaster-man-dies-after-motorcycle-crash.html
link:http://www.10tv.com/content/stories/apexchange/2014/09/16/oh--fatal-motorcycle-crash-charges.html
link:http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/09/15/Fairfield-County-fatal-wreck-charges.html
link:http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/09/14/0914-lancaster-fatal-motorcycle-crash.html
9. Before you donate to her legal defense that she can already get free of charge please just sit back a minute and think about it. If you would like to donate to the families of the victims in this horrific crash you can donate here:
link:http://www.youcaring.com/medical-fundraiser/prayer-for-hailey-derbyshire/235466
I know that this is where my money will be going.
I understand that she deserves council and is innocent until proven guilty, however at some point she needs to take accountability and not put the blame where it doesn't belong. I do feel for her family having to go through this, but I also feel for the families of those that were harmed in this accident. I honestly hope that she can get the help that she so desperately needs from this. However I also do not believe that her brakes went out simply based on her prior history and witnesses at the scene.
Sorry if this upsets you however I wanted those that are thinking of making a donation to be fully aware of the situation before they donate their money.
Oh no, you must be wrong and those mean cops must be lying...
Star Member uppityperson (86,807 posts)
71. Welcome to Du, a couple questions and comments
It has been said prior that she was not DUI, that the tests came back negative. Have you a link supporting your statement she was DUI?
What do you mean she was abusive towards the police? Since just been in a horrific accident, I understand her being frantic and have had enough experience with police to distrust "abusive towards police" claims without more information.
This seems rather like character assassination. What she has posted on facebook, what other accidents drunk drivers have caused, none of that has any bearing on this beyond trying to paint her in a certain light. imo
Upsetcitizen (5 posts)
72. Close
Lets just say that I am extremely close to this case and the goings on with it. At some point she has to be held accountable for her actions. She was seen abusing the cops via hitting them and trying to get away from the scene. She had to be taken down because of this. It is not character assassination but facts. At some point she has to be held accountable for her actions and not have excuses for what she did. There is no need to paint a light on someone who already has that track record available to the public. I'll play devils advocate for a second: If her brakes were failing how did she speed through the light at the speed in which she did and hit two vehicles with the force that she did on a road that was only 25 miles per hour and crossing a 4 lane road with a turning lane in the center and pushing the vehicles a half block plus. The court system will prevail in this, I do have faith in the system. I'm not saying she's a bad person, however she made a very bad decision. And I will stand behind that. If you go to the perry county court records and search for her name it shows a previous DUI from the SAME DAY! Links were provided in my original post. I also know of some of her friends posting online about her having to deal with a bunch of stuff and she was making bad decisions at the time. I'm sorry but I can only judge by the information that is out there about her. Unfortunately its not all good.
uppityperson (86,807 posts)
73. What matters is her drug/alcohol blood tests immediately after the accident. Period.
Whether or not she has a "track record" doesn't matter if she was clean.
You seem to be saying that failed brakes make it possible to stop, which seems very backwards to me. If her brakes failed, she would not have been able to stop. I do hope those brakes have been examined by a qualified and competent unbiased outsider.
As far as "hitting the police and trying to get away from the scene", people in shock often act incoherently.
I was not there, and do not excuse the accident, just saying unless we were there, we do not know and bringing up other people's dui accidents means nothing here but attempt to tarnish. They mean nothing in this case.
So again I ask. Do you have a link proving she was DUI, via her blood test? Not something saying she was arrested for it, but that she wasby fact? Thank you.
The whole situation sounds awful, best wishes to all involved, their friends and families, hoping for healing.
Upsetcitizen (5 posts)
74. you'll find out
When the evidence is presented in court you will find that she was in fact tested immediately for inhalants and was found to have inhalants and opiates in her system at the time of the accident. This information is not online for me to link it to you, but when the evidence is presented you will see it. I'll be sure to update it here for you. She was taken immediately to the hospital upon restraint where she was tested the hospital is within 1 block of the accident scene so it did happen quickly. As for her reactions toward the cops they may have been induced by shock however I am inclined to believe the latter, IMO. I'm not saying that it would be possible to stop, however I am saying that if you are traveling on a roadway that is only 25 mph and do not hit a vehicle until after you have passed 4 lanes of roadway thereby knocking that vehicle back a full block and finally hitting another car at a block away from the intersection head on with enough impact to throw 2 riders from a motorcycle, and total the car that you hit head on if the brakes had gone out then she would have been driving at a ridiculous speed to have cause that devastation. As for her prior records, I have nothing but that to compare her actions to. I could understand if the other incidents had happened a while before this accident and she was working to turn her life around, however she wasn't as she had just that day been caught for driving while under the influence in another county. As I said I am close to this situation and feel for all involved, but her actions cannot be dismissed. Maybe that's what's wrong with this world right now, everyone is looking for the easy way out back door and not wanting to be held accountable for their actions. I don't need to tarnish her record as she has done a fine job of that herself. I honestly only posted to give the other side of what had happened before people started an outpouring of funds her way without realizing the full impact of the victims involved. A responsible driver would have had insurance to cover an accident at the very minimum. Now the families have to figure out how to survive while paying funeral costs, medical bills, etc.
furiously backpeddle...
uppityperson (86,807 posts)
75. The whole situation sounds awful and it is true, no one knows the complete facts.
Best wishes to those involved.
countryjake (6,575 posts)
83. You have my complete sympathy...
as do all of the victims of this tragedy.
And I thank you for including a link to that medical fund for the innocent little girl who was seriously injured when her grandpa was killed. My thoughts are with her and her family and also any others who were forever impacted at that intersection in Lancaster.
Please don't judge DU by this thread which inspired you to begin posting. Hopefully, others here will see your post and contribute where donations are truly necessary.
Peace to you.
The victim's nephew joins the discussion
JusticeforJimHaley (1 post)
76. Justice for Jim
Reading your post brings tears to my eyes. But for the reasons you will never look at. Let me give you a few.
Jim will never see another brother sister child or grandchild. Tear
Hailey will have years of health issues and recovery and therapy to get over this. Tear.
My father identifying his brothers body. Tears
My aunt and uncles standing over Jims casket barely holding it together. Tears
My cousins scraping up money to put jim in the ground. Tears
Haileys family scraping up money to tend to her needs. Tears
Holding myself together so I can hold my loved ones while they grieve. Tears
Never getting to joke with my uncle ever again. Tears.
For my family who was at the intersection when this happen and had to see my uncle die. Tears
I could go on. I understand accidents happen. I will say. Blood was drawn by my understanding. But this girl was pulled over
earlier in the day for a light and was sited for underage consumption. She has violated her probation. I have had the pleasure to
meet people I didnt even know at my uncles funeral because this accident should never have happened and they cant get the
horrific images of this girl along with her friend huffing while blowing through a light. I have mechanics all through my family and any of them would be glad to check out her car. Bet nothings wrong. But then again she told police she fell asleep. Then again her and Mr hammond (by the way who hit an amish buggy weeks prior and skipped leaving a Man Woman and INFANT along the road like an animal that was nothing) were trying to get rid of the evidence.
So please carry on please continue trying to help get rid of anything that could bring justice to my uncle and his grandaughter. Cause after all the tears from above I can say this site makes me ****ing laugh my ass off
countryjake (6,575 posts)
93. This Medical Fund for poor little Haley Derbyshire is where monies should go!
http://www.youcaring.com/medical-fundraiser/prayer-for-hailey-derbyshire/235466
Hailey is 7 years old and right now at Nationwide Children's Hospital after injuries received Saturday September 13, 2014.
I agree with you that this is a horrible situation and I do pity your son's friend, but my sympathies lie with the numerous victims of Devin Downour's terribly poor decisions on that tragic day.
peace
Report: Troopers stopped woman hours before fatal crash 6:26 p.m. EDT September 23, 2014
http://www.lancastereaglegazette.com/story/news/local/2014/09/23/report-troopers-stopped-woman-hours-crash/16119187/
Two cans of computer keyboard aerosol duster were collected as evidence at the crash scene, according to police.
