Driving under the influence of crack

[DC_DEEP]

This story has been in the news for a couple of days now. I don't know if it's been making the national news, but it is a very disturbing story on many levels. The Union Temple Baptist Church was having it's annual Unifest festival in southwest DC's Anacostia area. Streets were cordoned and barricaded for several blocks; this young woman, reaching estimated speeds of 70 mph, plowed through the festival, striking several people (one bounced off her front grill, over the hood, into the windshield, and over the top of the car...) and one witness mentioned baby strollers slammed into the air by the impact...

Here's a follow-up story.

Festival car crash

 

[B_Think_Kink]

Goodness, she needs some serious psychiatric help, poor kid.

 

[IntoxicatingToxin]

Sounds like several people might need serious psychiatric help at this point.

 

[DC_DEEP]

She has a long history of drug addiction and incarceration, and some evidence of underlying psychological/emotional pathology.

You should check out the article, if you haven't. It has a lot more information than I put in my intro, but it's a follow-up story, so some of the details of the crash itself weren't detailed as they were in a previous column.

 

[Pecker]

It's too bad that the streets in every city are filled with those who need hospitalization but cannot get the care they need because of ridiculous laws and misdirected budgets. This woman deserves our pity and the help of rehabilitation. Instead she's been ignored until we're left with no choice but to confine her to a home for the criminally insane.

We've let another soul fall through the cracks.

 

[crescendo69]

I hope everybody here sees this thread, especially if they are using or considering using crack. I found it made a friend of mine violent when I tried to ask him what he was on.

 

[naughty]

Ok...I know folks are not going to agree with me but the madness needs to stop. DC, in the last two weeks we have had at least 4 incidents like this. As you probably heard about the latest this morning in Charles County plowing into a bus stop of children. Having had friends and family members injured and killed by drivers under the influence, I have very little sympathy. It takes me to a place I dont want to be....

 

[IntoxicatingToxin]

I did read the article. I feel a wee bit of sympathy for the drug addicted girl. I know that mentally, she feels lost and stuck and depressed, and I know it can't be easy. But, after I have had three people in my immediate family with "problems". Two were/are drug addicts, one of them was an alcoholic. I've been through some similar events as the girl in the story, but I've never even come close to having a drug problem. But I know that my mom was my savior, and maybe she didn't have that. I'm kind of going through a mix of emotions. I feel sorry for her, but I'm angry with her. Not only did she plow through that festival, but she had her child in the freakn back seat! Seriously.

 

[DC_DEEP]

Thank you all for taking the time to read and comment on this.

It is a serious problem. Yes, she did "fall through the cracks" so to speak. I couldn't find the first of the articles that I read, but I seem to remember something about her neighbors and other witnesses saying she had been in several automobile incidents earlier in the day. Meg, I also have a nephew who was addicted to crack for years, and was incarcerated several times. Thank goodness he finally got the help he needed and has been clean and sober for 3 years now.

I have a bit of sympathy for Ms. Bell, but it just shreds my heart thinking about her children.

I'm not really sure why I even posted this, but it just seemed to affect me. I know I didn't post it to point an accusing finger at her, nor did I intend to laugh at her or express sympathy at what a poor victim she is... I guess mostly just as a public service/awareness sort of thing. It does happen. Crack is such an insidious drug, and methamphetamine is running a close second. And they are rampant.

 

[txquis]

On a much smaller scale:
I live in a quiet suburb of a major city...feeling safer than safe...then, on April 9, a crack head woman stripped naked, jumped out of her car near the parking garage of my apt building....She stood in the center of a busy street, while cars swerved to avoid her.
A good samaritan, thinking she was a rape victim, got out of her SUV to give her aid.
"You can hep me with THIS!" said crackhead and stabbed the good samaritan woman.
This kind of crazy shit is going on everywhere.

sad sad sad.

 

[DC_DEEP]

I'm going to start another thread on the other one that was in today's Washington Post...

 

[D_Aston Asstonne]

damned this is a crying shame,ive witnessed soo many youth lose their lives over this poison.i was always a good kid,simply cruising around with pussy on my breath!ahhh the good old days!

 

[B_big dirigible]

If she won't take her meds, very little treatment is possible.

 

[Dr. Dilznick]

[...] she had worked as a temporary clerical assistant in the office of the Ward 8 D.C. Council member, Marion Barry (D), where she answered phones and distributed mail.

Go figure.

 

[Lex]

It's too bad that the streets in every city are filled with those who need hospitalization but cannot get the care they need because of ridiculous laws and misdirected budgets. This woman deserves our pity and the help of rehabilitation. Instead she's been ignored until we're left with no choice but to confine her to a home for the criminally insane.

We've let another soul fall through the cracks.

Sadly, too many in our country would rather build an economy on prison and jail time than on treatment and intervention. There are thousands of addicts in Baltimore City alone and scracely 2 or 3 clinics where those without health insurance can seek treatment.

 

[DC_DEEP]

Go figure.

Yeah, I thought that was way beyond ironic. By the way, have I recently given you a "welcome back"? I've missed your posts for a while, good to see you again.

Sadly, too many in our country would rather build an economy on prison and jail time than on treatment and intervention. There are thousands of addicts in Baltimore City alone and scracely 2 or 3 clinics where those without health insurance can seek treatment.

There is obviously a whole lot about her story, and others. It sounds like she is surrounded by people who care about her, but for whatever reason, there's just no enforcement going on.

I don't want to go too far into the assumptions, but if she can afford to be driving a Volvo, you'd think she could afford some treatment of some kind, without having to rely entirely upon "state-sponsored" care.

And who foots the bill for the 23 people she injured in those few seconds? The whole story just boggles my mind.

 

[Lex]

...

I don't want to go too far into the assumptions, but if she can afford to be driving a Volvo, you'd think she could afford some treatment of some kind, without having to rely entirely upon "state-sponsored" care....

I dunno. I know lotsof people who have cars what are paid for (used, etc.) who only carry liability insurance. Again, hard to not make assumptions

...
And who foots the bill for the 23 people she injured in those few seconds? The whole story just boggles my mind.

Another really good question. It depends on whether she had insurance on the car and if the people hit have insurance. If not, of course their bills will be covered by tax payers. Ugh.