An incident here in Redondo made the national news when at around 8 p.m. Wednesday evening a woman driver ran a red light at PCH and Vincent and plowed into a group of adults and children. Three adults were killed outright and a six year old boy died Thursday evening as a result of this accident.
Facing me over my breakfast coffee this morning (12/20) was an above-the-fold photo of the woman driver in court, propped up on an ambulance gurney with the two attendants and a pair of bailiffs. She looked dazed and confused. She had not been injured in the accident she caused.
If that information is not enough to make you gag, her lawyer pled for only $100,000 bail, saying it was one single event (but, uh, it took out four souls) and an accident at that. The prosecutor asked for (and got) $500,000 bail.
The woman in question suffers from a natural birth handicap that requires her to drive a car fitted with hand brakes. Her attorney cried that it was not fair to rush to judgment, that there were no toxology or blood alcohol test results known at this time. Prescription drug abuse is one of the suspected causes for the accident.
With some indignation, he pointed out that his client "was like a fish out of water" in a prison setting. Lawyer-Dude - most of us would be, too. Which kind of begs the question, "What kind of clients is he used to having?"
I am well aware that our American justice system requires proof of guilt and the accused is considered to be innocent until proven guilty beyond the shadow of a doubt. Pleading "Not Guilty" with the car keys dangling from her hand totally suspends disbelief for me.
Making sure your client has a press photographer at a bail hearing and placing said client on a gurney with ambulance attendants is, in my opinion, a direct attempt to sway any future jury and I think it's tacky, sleazy and unworthy of a good lawyer. Good lawyers don't need to try their cases in the newspapers.
The only remotely funny thing about this whole deal was this: Richie, "Raffish" and I were all watching the early coverage. The announcer said something about "alcohol related" and I said, "Every single car crash is not necessarily alcohol related! She could have had a fight with her boyfriend and driven away in a rage .." just then the announcer ran her mug shot on the screen and "Raffish" said, "Uh...I don't think it was boyfriend trouble" and I had to laugh.
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