Talk about stupid ….

Driving while high on marijuana?

Driving while texting?

Driving while high on pot AND while texting? What stupidity!

Stupidity is one thing when you are only exposing yourself to danger but stupidity takes on a whole different and repugnant perspective when you get behind the wheel of a big, powerful piece of metal that is capable of killing other innocent people.

A very tragic Elmira pedestrian death case illustrates the idiotic and lethal combination of driving while both high and while texting!

A 27-year-old Elmira woman pleaded guilty last month to a misdemeanor charge of driving while ability impaired by drugs in the Sept. 3 car-pedestrian death of a 71-year-old Elmira woman.

The District Attorney is urging that the driver, Kelly Boston, be sentenced in August to three years of probation, random drug and alcohol screening, community service, a substantial fine and attendance at a victim impact panel, according to the Elmira Star-Gazette newspaper report.  Frankly, I wish the penalties were even more severe…..

We have written many times before about the dangers of driving while impaired (either drunk or high) and distracted driving (talking or texting on a cell phone) but this case involved both types of impairment/distraction.

A pedestrian, Mary C. Klugo of Scio Street, was lost tragically. The driver’s life will never be the same. The next time you think about driving impaired or texting while driving, I hope you will remember this case.

Here is another local news report on the driver’s guilty plea:

Elmira Woman Pleads Guilty in Pedestrian Accident

By Stacey Minchin
WETM-TV
Elmira, N.Y. – An Elmira woman has admitted to smoking pot the night she hit and killed an elderly pedestrian.
Chemung County District Attorney Weeden Wetmore says 26-year-old Kelly Boston has pleaded guilty to a charge of driving while impaired by drugs.
On Sept. 3, Boston was driving on Hoffman Street when she struck and killed 71-year-old Mary Klugo of Elmira.
Besides being high on pot, officials say Boston was reading a text message right before the crash.
In exchange for her plea, Wetmore is only seeking a sentence of three years probation.
Wetmore says there wasn’t enough evidence to charge her with vehicular homicide.

Thanks for reading,

James B. Reed, Elmira Injury Attorney