Accident Lawsuits and Responsibility

* Donnie Bridgman’s family would have us believe his tragic death was somehow the city’s fault (“Teen Crash Victim’s Parents File Claim Against City,” Nov. 4). [It’s] somebody else’s, anybody else’s fault.

They would have us ignore the fact that their son’s judgment allegedly was impaired by drinking illegally, so he allowed the family Blazer to be crammed with twice as many passengers as there were seats (and seat belts) and either didn’t realize or was not concerned that his designated driver allegedly was speeding.

This accident happened because young people made a series of lousy decisions, so Donnie died and others were terribly injured. And no amount of money will change that.

Thousands of teenagers manage to have a good time without drinking. Thousands of teenagers buckle up and obey traffic laws. How tragic that Donnie was not among them; he would be alive today. How tragic that his family chooses not to use their notoriety to warn other kids about teenage drinking but rather to search for a scapegoat.

CHARLES BEDNAR

Placentia

* May I add my reaction to the several letters you have received regarding the lawsuits being filed by the victims and their parents following the recent serious accident on the Irvine Avenue curves along the Upper Bay?

The sympathy I had for their physical damage, pain and the loss of one young man has completely disappeared, even for Amanda. Also, the attorneys handling these lawsuits should be disbarred. It is incredible.

Going to and from my office over the years, I have driven those curves on Irvine Avenue at least 15,000 times with no problems. There are numerous 35 mph warning signs on those curves, and at times much of the traffic I follow travels at 40 and sometimes even 45 mph without any problems. However, if a driver tries to exceed 45 mph, even in the daytime, it requires very careful driving. A van filled with kids couldn’t do it in daylight at 55 mph.

Occasionally a breeze off the bay blows water from the sprinklers over the road. That is not the fault of the sprinklers or the city. It is our nice climate.

Also, last Monday morning, with the light sprinkles we had, there were no problems with the traffic at 40 mph. The surface of this road on these curves is basically not slick or slippery.

The young driver also must have known the van was a little higher than standard--reason for more caution. And how many were wearing seat belts? Is the city responsible for those who did not?

One might wish there were fewer curves, but that road has been there a long time, and the posted speed limit makes the curves perfectly safe, even on a wet road.

The city is not responsible for this tragedy.

IRVIN C. CHAPMAN

Costa Mesa