Yes, then they can add a charge of driving without a license to the next incident.

I hope the driver gets a very long prison sentence to think about what she has done to this family. I simply do not understand how someone can run down a mother and her two little girls like this and just keep on driving. This woman must have been completely hammered or have absolutely no feelings what-so-ever. Unfortunately, they will probably get some slick lawyer to claim that the person was not responsible for their actions because they were too drunk to know what they were doing and get the hit and run charges dropped. The lawyer will also might even try and claim that the driver is an alcoholic and therefor has a disease and should not be held responsible for hitting these people at all. This is the reason the article says that the driver "may also face vehicular manslaughter charges" not will face them. The law is far too lax and lets these drunk drivers get away without facing serious charges in many cases. The absurdity is that the higher the driver's blood alcohol level, the more likely it is that they will not face the more serious charges. This is because it makes it easier for the lawyer to argue that the driver did not know what they were doing and should not be held responsible. The excuses lawyers use to get these drunk off on the most serious of the charges is disgusting. The laws need to be changed to stop lawyers from using these excuses and ensure that these drunk drivers pay the price for the havoc the cause and the pain they inflict on their victims and the victims' families. If you go out drinking and then get behind the wheel of a car and kill someone you should be automatically charged with first degree manslaughter as a minimum and if it can be shown that you knew you had a drinking problem the charge should be upped to second degree murder. This is because if you know you have a drinking problem and drive to a bar to drink you are doing so knowing the danger and possible outcome so you should not be able to claim it was an unintentional act which is required for it only to be manslaughter. You are going out knowing that you are going to end up driving drunk so anything that happens as a result should be considered an intentional act. I am sick of reading about these drunks going out and killing people and getting off with little to no prison time.

As far as the actions the witness took, I find it very troubling that the police referred to their actions as heroic, as they were in fact very dangerous. Getting the license plate number of the hit and run driver or even following them at a safe distance so they can tell the police where to find them is one thing, taking action to detain the driver is something else. The witness could very well have ended up getting themselves hurt or even killed by attempting to do the police's job for them. Trying to stop and detain the wrong kind of person in a situation like this can lead to getting yourself physically attacked and/or shot. The police should not be encouraging people to take matters into their own hands by calling this person a hero, they are encouraging vigilantism by doing so. It is completely irresponsible and sends the wrong message for the police to be encouraging private citizens to take these kind of actions.

You can step off of your "soap box" now!

JS that is the problem in this country people do not want to get involed (sp)

JS: Manslaughter + drunk driving + a container of marijuana on the dashboard + hit & run + depraved indifference. No, her lawyer isn't getting her out of this one (even assuming she can get a good one). She's going to jail for quite some time.

Plus, according to another report I just saw on this story, they are looking at upgrading the charge from manslaughter to murder because of the driver's past history.

At least this alcoholic/drug addict will be off the streets for few years. It would have been nice to see her get run over and over and over but a very looooong jail time will do, I guess.

Drugs do kill.

As does alcohol.

Yes, I agree on tougher punishments for DUI's. A mandatory jail sentence of 180 days with no good time off, no work release. A mandatory suspension for 5 years with no rights to register a car in their name during that suspension. Then a mandatory 90 jail term for the owner that let's the suspended driver drive their car.

However, the lobbying groups for restaurants, taverns and night clubs will block that.

Unfortunately revoking someones licence for life will not keep them from driving. We see it fairly often here in ours and surrounding communities, someone with 2-3-4-5, in one case 8 DUI's and suspended licences still driving and causing accidents.

Firecracker, you are an idiot. They said it was a Latina family not they're illegals. A little history lesson for you. California, Texas, Arizona once belonged to Mexico. Why do you think they have all the Spanish names. Go back to school.

JS..I went looking for a hit and run driver that slammed into a car on the highway a couple of weeks ago...and if I had found him, would have done the same. Maybe it's foolish, but it's something I would do again...too many people get away w/th this @!$%#...if I can do something to help get the offender, then I will do it.

You, however, can continue looking the other way and hope for smeone to get there in time...at least you won't be put out. I would bet, however, you'd get that pic on your cell and that call out to someone before ever calling the police.

What's the matter BarbaraB, your siister? Can't handle the truth?, you are pathetic.

And for this hit and run-bitch. Hang her on the nearest and highest tree for all to see.

We need to begin burning people at the stake again!! We will not have to foot the bill for long imprisonments or worry about them driving and killing anyone else when they are released.

Nola chick

Firecracker, you are an idiot. They said it was a Latina family not they're illegals. A little history lesson for you. California, Texas, Arizona once belonged to Mexico. Why do you think they have all the Spanish names. Go back to school.

Nola - your Trolldar doesn't seem to be working today... time to reboot. Don't feed the trolls

Besides, you are really going to use that lame "it was their country first" excuse? Stop living in the past baby! Or else be prepared to sell your house to the Native Americans. If YOU had paid attention in school you would realize this.

People who commit hit and runs are the scum of the earth. I am glad that they caught this monster. I agree too that one DUI should mean revocation. No second chances. No one ever has an excuse to drive when they are messed up.

There is no good or bad time of the day to be driving while intoxicated.

I disagree with just about everything that you said. You would fail a driver test. In truth I think every time a person is pulled over, or get a parking ticket should pass a written drivers exam . You see a pedestrian has the right of way every time. Regardless. All accidents are avoidable. If you have health issue pull to the right. Pot holes you slow down simple really. You find excuses for people to break traffic laws. You mention safety seats for children. You even mentioned an unrestrained pet. I see you are one of those people find it is OK to break the law. Every thing that you mention was avoidable just by moving to the right and slow down to take care of these problems. You used the word hammered. How do you know this person wasn't using medical marijuana for a heath conditions. If people would stop using excuses for running people over regardless of the reason I could agree with you if it wasn't for a fact that the car doesn't drive it self. You the control the car. The car doesn't control you. It is your job to look out for the other guy, and keep your car in repair. Only you can prevent a traffic crime.

I do believe you have missed the point of the original post entirely. Just picking out the parts that will justify your ascent onto the soapbox, grats.

um...pedestrians ALWAYS have the right of way when it cmes to your driving...doesn't matter if they do cross the street and you are moving, YOU have to stop...now maybe that should be construed as jaywalking, but you still need to yield to them.

Pedestrians do not always have the right of way depending on the jurisdiction, and some of them are negligent. This is why there are laws against jaywalking. In my area, a car yields to a pedestrian in a crosswalk (marked or at a corner). A pedestrian yields to a car when crossing against the light, crossing in the absence of a crosswalk, or crossing on the street when an overpass/underpass has been provided. It's similar to Santa Ana's municipal code (http://library.municode.com/index.aspx?clientId=14452&stateId=5&stateName=California, Part 2, Chapter 36, Article 3).

If you want further evidence that pedestrians can be in the wrong, look at some of these articles from a few years back regarding Raquel Nelson, a mother who tried to cross a busy street with her kids where a crosswalk wasn't provided resulting in the death of one of her children:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/25/raquel-nelson-this-will-never-end_n_908448.html

http://www.ajc.com/news/cobb/pedestrian-convicted-of-vehicular-1014879.html

http://dc.streetsblog.org/2011/07/22/the-streets-and-the-courts-failed-raquel-nelson-can-advocacy-save-her/

However all this is not applicable to this case since the article clearly states the victims were in a crosswalk and had the right of way. With that, my best wishes to the family, and my hopes that the driver is sentenced harshly.

"The victims had the right of way"
Kind of a stupid statement, there is no contest between a human body and a car

Firecracker. In AZ the convicted person is held responsible for the cost of the time in prison. So No Free Rent here.

Your statement makes no sense because that's just what Libertarians believe- that one should be able to do as they please *as long as it doesn't adversely affect anyone else*. The point is that your rights stop where mine begin. If you're looking to make something as apolitical as an intoxicated hit and run into a political screed at least do it with some sense.

I would not be surprised to hear that Optimist got a stick up his ass.

here we go with the politcal crap

I agree with Bluepanther20....why the hell does everything have to turn into something political. Any decent human being in their right mind, despite what political part they play in the world, would never be for the actions of the dumb girl! Please leave the politics at home in situations and conversations such as this one.

With elections at hand, anything and everything is political. Do you really think that Repugnicans won't go there on just about any topic that can give them even a shred of an advantage?

*as long as it doesn't adversely affect anyone else*

That's the operative phrase, isn't it? Liberetardians believe they alone should be the judges of whether or not anything may "adversely affect anyone else."

Optimist is a dope on a rope. this is NOT political in any way. no matter how hard you try you cannot twist this into something political. go to the story where pelosi calls the gop the mouthpiece of the insurance cos and post your dribble over there.

Maybe the vehicle that struck her? Maybe you should really learn to read an article before making an insensitive like that.

Todd, you need to learn to stop wanking in public.

Get help Todd!

stestoscope? What is that?

Seriously? WTF are you on?

Tragic. My prayers for the family during their recovery.

Sometimes, you don't need the court system to get true justice, if you know what I'm sayin'.

One more thing... The Corasanti acquittal basically says that if you are involved in an accident and under the influence... run. When you're caught or turn yourself in 5 hrs later... no one can prove you were drunk at the time of the accident and cast suspicion that a faulty process/equipment was used to determine BAC.

Un-f**kin' believable!!

Booze, drugs, and driving while texting are killing innocents! America seems to have a growing number of people who think their "party" is more important than anything or anyone else! They obviously are of the opinion that it is fine to kill innocent people and babies, rather than taking responsibility for driving appropriately! My anger and hatred for these kinds of people is becoming unbearable. They will "run" from the accident to get over their drugged or drunken state so they won't have to take responsibility.

Remember the rich guy recently who was drunk and pushed a young man's car into a lake upside down and then left the scene of the accident? The young man did not die of his injuries, he drowned! I cannot stand this uncaring, irresponsible mentality growing in America!

Stupidity is doing the killing...not using your common sense....

Blue, there is nothing common about common sense, it's actually quite rare.

Hoodie...I stand corrected...

Redundant.

what did you catch? Stop reading stuff into things...your bigotry is showing...

Did you know there is less death and injuries from guns. In the entire United States. Then deaths and injures caused by automobiles. I would even guess it about 10000 to 1. I would even say there is more deaths and injuries by automobiles then by any other heath issues. What we should have a is non-profit group that would help automobiles prevent deaths. The only group I know of is MADD! They don't really address the real issues only drunk drivers which they are not doing very well.

Rich girl has nothing to do with anything. Drunk driving knows now financial boundaries. Idiocy is everywhere.

Not true, 90% of drunk driving are committed by whites. In fact whites are almost 3 times more likely to drive drunk than blacks. Mostly because, whites have more money and therefore own more cars.

Robbie, that is almost the stupidest bit of reasoning I have ever heard.

There does seem to be a correlation between those with money and a sense of entitlement to do whatever the heck they want, regardless of the law. Other than a few high profile cases, the wealthy can buy their own version of justice.

Wealth or not people so stupid things. Entitlement comes with power of any kind rich or not.

Yeah, ok, Robbie. Not sure where you get your statistics from, but I've witnessed black drivers and whites, and blacks are, by far, on average, the worst drivers. So, Robbie, who do you think commits most crimes on foot? YUP!

Yes, she was probably one of those impoverished girls you see driving Lexus sedans around. Poor people and their high priced cars - when will it end?!

..annnnnd cue the racial crap...

This is so not a racial issue. It's not black, white, hispanic! All walks of life have the ability to earn good money and be "rich". I see "black" people driving around in brand new $50-60,000 cars just as I have seen "white" people and others as well. You say that blacks don't have as much money as whites? Really?? Hmmm I need to know where you are at so I can come there and make money. There are many african americans making much more than I do. Just as whites have done, they went to college and got good jobs. I have a good job and make good money but I don't believe I have the right to "do whatever I please" I have a responsibility to society just like everyone else. Where I work does not have 90% whites. We are mixed equally.We live in the same neighborhoods and work together. We don't see it as black and white. We are just neighbors, co-workers, and friends. The ones turning this into a racial thing are the true racists! The rest of us see this as an unspeakable, unforgivable act by an individual not a race or social group.

Amen, Wolfgang.

I agree 100%. Where are those stories? Ahh, yes, it's not in the media's agenda to show THAT side of things.

rbjko--Only certain minorities get mentioned and it has to be in the right context to support the liberal narrative. You will seldom see a story where a victim's ethnicity is described if said victim is caucasian or asian.

probably because the majority are white?

Who cares...you guys just love to jump on this racial garbage...

They are reporting a story, nothing more.