I’m not sure where everyone is from who posted a comment here but in Missouri, if you host a party and someone leaves your party and had an accident because they were served too much….or just drank too much on their own….the hosts can be held liable….it’s called Liquor Liability in the insurance business. And don’t any one of you tell me that the parents who owned this home where the party was…if they were home….aren’t responsible to a certain degree.
M&M is on point. 18 year olds are not children. The age of reason is generally accepted to be around 12. If you haven’t taught your kids about the dangers of alcohol by age 14, something’s wrong. If the girl drank herself into a stupor where she didn’t know what she was doing it’s her own fault. If she didn’t drink, but got into a car with someone who did, it’s her fault. It doesn’t matter if liquor, beer, crack cocaine, weed or anything else was available. Nobody forced her to take it, or hitch a ride with someone who did. A phone call to her parents for a ride would have prevented this whole tragedy. We have to stop making excuses for teenagers doing stupid things. Foisting liability onto someone else seems to be America’s way of making it easy for them to screw up.
In response to Dread….
My point is that if the Parents who owned this home where the party took place were home….It is their responsibility to oversee the party and make sure that everyone who leaves that party is sober enough to drive home. That would apply to an adult only party as well. If you’re hosting a party….you have a responsibility to those that attend to not send them off shitfaced so they can put themselves and others on the road at risk. I’ve worked as a bartender in the past for a restaurant and the bartender has a responsibility to stop serving a patron if they feel they’vr had too much to drink and can put themselves and the restaurant at risk if proven they neglected that responsibility. I don’t deny that we Americans tend to blame others for our irresponsibilities but if this were your daughter, you’d at least like to know that someone will look out for your child’s interest in the same situation.
Just a final comment on this as I’ve reread the article. It appears that the parents provided alcohol to these kids and when I say kids, I mean under 21 years of age. I would sue the parents as well. They should have more sense than to have a party and provide alcohlo to underage kids….that’s illegal in my state of Missouri and even though I know this takes place, the FEW parents I know that have done this also take the keys from EVERYONE attending the party and when someone is ready to leave, they make sure that person is able to drive. If not they make arrangements for them. That’s what responsible parents do.
Bill,
You are a hypocrite! First you say it is illegal to provide alcohol to minors, then you say the parents who do this but then make arrangements are responsible. Can you explain the difference between “irresponsible illegal” and “responsible illegal”?
I didn’t say I CONDONE this type of action. I wouldn’t call myself a hypocrite either. I’m saying if you are the parents of a teen age child the percentages are high that at some time these kids are going to drink. I have a 23 year old married daughter who we forbid to drink. Did that stop her? Honestly NO. I have an 18 year old and she DOESN’T drink and looks down on anyone who does drink who are underage. I also have a 13 year old son and I’m hoping he’ll follow his 18 year old sisters example. I’m saying that if parents are foolish enough to allow and even provide alcohol to underage drinkers…even though it’s illegal….they should have enough sense to monitor the activity, if not things like what happened in this article occur. Bottom line it could, and should have been avoided with some precautions. I’ve even told the parents I know who allow the underage drinking that they’re inviting a lawsuit if something happens, but they continue to do what they do.
Hopefully neither yourself, myself or anyone who’s posted opinions on this site will ever experience the pain & sorrow that this young woman’s family has. Unless it hits close to home AND unless all the facts are known, it’s obviously difficult to say how one would respond to a tragedy like this. Any time a young kid dies in an accident it’s tragic. People of all ages make poor decisions in their lives form time to time and have to pay for it…unless of course they can buy their way out of it. WE all know that if you have money and can afford an excellent attorney, jail time can be reduced or avoided altogether. One still has to live with the fact that they screwed up and someone lost their life because of it. One question for all….Does anyone not truly believe that the parents who allowed this party to take place aren’t responsible to some degree?
I am sick and tired of everyone trying to blame everyone else for their own choices.
IF you time comes, it doesn’t matter how you go, you go. Trying to take the rest of society with you and/or trying to gain money does nothing to help the grief. Then you have the money and you should feel guilty spending a penny of it because you didn’t reaise your child with better discipline, not to get in the car with a drunk driver, not to go to the party and drink, NOT to be able to call you for a ride……think about it….!!
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I’m not sure where everyone is from who posted a comment here but in Missouri, if you host a party and someone leaves your party and had an accident because they were served too much….or just drank too much on their own….the hosts can be held liable….it’s called Liquor Liability in the insurance business. And don’t any one of you tell me that the parents who owned this home where the party was…if they were home….aren’t responsible to a certain degree.
I was just referring to the driver. Host definitely shoulda been more prudent. And it’s merely a defense strategy, not made of gold.
Check out the website, people! It’ll only cheer you up.
M&M is on point. 18 year olds are not children. The age of reason is generally accepted to be around 12. If you haven’t taught your kids about the dangers of alcohol by age 14, something’s wrong. If the girl drank herself into a stupor where she didn’t know what she was doing it’s her own fault. If she didn’t drink, but got into a car with someone who did, it’s her fault. It doesn’t matter if liquor, beer, crack cocaine, weed or anything else was available. Nobody forced her to take it, or hitch a ride with someone who did. A phone call to her parents for a ride would have prevented this whole tragedy. We have to stop making excuses for teenagers doing stupid things. Foisting liability onto someone else seems to be America’s way of making it easy for them to screw up.
In response to Dread….
My point is that if the Parents who owned this home where the party took place were home….It is their responsibility to oversee the party and make sure that everyone who leaves that party is sober enough to drive home. That would apply to an adult only party as well. If you’re hosting a party….you have a responsibility to those that attend to not send them off shitfaced so they can put themselves and others on the road at risk. I’ve worked as a bartender in the past for a restaurant and the bartender has a responsibility to stop serving a patron if they feel they’vr had too much to drink and can put themselves and the restaurant at risk if proven they neglected that responsibility. I don’t deny that we Americans tend to blame others for our irresponsibilities but if this were your daughter, you’d at least like to know that someone will look out for your child’s interest in the same situation.
Just a final comment on this as I’ve reread the article. It appears that the parents provided alcohol to these kids and when I say kids, I mean under 21 years of age. I would sue the parents as well. They should have more sense than to have a party and provide alcohlo to underage kids….that’s illegal in my state of Missouri and even though I know this takes place, the FEW parents I know that have done this also take the keys from EVERYONE attending the party and when someone is ready to leave, they make sure that person is able to drive. If not they make arrangements for them. That’s what responsible parents do.
Bill,
You are a hypocrite! First you say it is illegal to provide alcohol to minors, then you say the parents who do this but then make arrangements are responsible. Can you explain the difference between “irresponsible illegal” and “responsible illegal”?
I didn’t say I CONDONE this type of action. I wouldn’t call myself a hypocrite either. I’m saying if you are the parents of a teen age child the percentages are high that at some time these kids are going to drink. I have a 23 year old married daughter who we forbid to drink. Did that stop her? Honestly NO. I have an 18 year old and she DOESN’T drink and looks down on anyone who does drink who are underage. I also have a 13 year old son and I’m hoping he’ll follow his 18 year old sisters example. I’m saying that if parents are foolish enough to allow and even provide alcohol to underage drinkers…even though it’s illegal….they should have enough sense to monitor the activity, if not things like what happened in this article occur. Bottom line it could, and should have been avoided with some precautions. I’ve even told the parents I know who allow the underage drinking that they’re inviting a lawsuit if something happens, but they continue to do what they do.
Justify it however you want, it sounds pretty hypocritical to me Bill.
Hopefully neither yourself, myself or anyone who’s posted opinions on this site will ever experience the pain & sorrow that this young woman’s family has. Unless it hits close to home AND unless all the facts are known, it’s obviously difficult to say how one would respond to a tragedy like this. Any time a young kid dies in an accident it’s tragic. People of all ages make poor decisions in their lives form time to time and have to pay for it…unless of course they can buy their way out of it. WE all know that if you have money and can afford an excellent attorney, jail time can be reduced or avoided altogether. One still has to live with the fact that they screwed up and someone lost their life because of it. One question for all….Does anyone not truly believe that the parents who allowed this party to take place aren’t responsible to some degree?
I am sick and tired of everyone trying to blame everyone else for their own choices.
IF you time comes, it doesn’t matter how you go, you go. Trying to take the rest of society with you and/or trying to gain money does nothing to help the grief. Then you have the money and you should feel guilty spending a penny of it because you didn’t reaise your child with better discipline, not to get in the car with a drunk driver, not to go to the party and drink, NOT to be able to call you for a ride……think about it….!!