04/20/24
April 09, 2009
Angels' Pitcher Nick Adenhart Killed in Car Crash: Hours after he threw six scoreless innings as the starting pitcher, Los Angeles Angels' rookie Nick Adenhart, 22, was killed along with two others in a hit-and-run car crash in Fullerton, Calif., when a driver ran a red light. A minivan hit a vehicle carrying Adenhart and three other people, who have been identified as Henry Pearson, Courtney Stewart and Jon Wilhite, who went to a dance club with Adenhart after watching the game. Only Wilhite survived the accident, and he's in critical condition.
Finally BI, I agree with you 100%. My thoughts and prayers will be with the families involved.
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posted by BoKnows at 12:26 PM on April 09, 2009
Here's a story from Tuesday that provides more background on where Adenhart was in his career. He got his shot at starting because three Angels starters are on the DL and he pitched well in the Cactus League.
Not that there's any good time for something so terrible to happen, but the timing here seems particularly cruel.
posted by rcade at 12:28 PM on April 09, 2009
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posted by irunfromclones at 12:38 PM on April 09, 2009
posted by BoKnows at 12:42 PM on April 09, 2009
I thought this was a hit and run (the mini van is in the pics as well)?
Obviously, our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the lost ones.
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posted by jagsnumberone at 12:49 PM on April 09, 2009
The driver fled on foot before being caught. He's been identified as Andrew Thomas Gallo, 22, of Riverside.
posted by rcade at 12:50 PM on April 09, 2009
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posted by TheQatarian at 12:52 PM on April 09, 2009
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posted by tommybiden at 01:25 PM on April 09, 2009
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posted by fadetoblack5 at 01:36 PM on April 09, 2009
MLB.Com is streaming live coverage from the MLB Network on Adenhart.
posted by rcade at 01:39 PM on April 09, 2009
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posted by THX-1138 at 01:53 PM on April 09, 2009
They just announced that tonight's Angels/As game will be postponed to a future date.
I didn't realize that Adenhart was a potential first pick in the draft out of high school before he needed Tommy John surgery.
posted by rcade at 02:04 PM on April 09, 2009
This is horrible:( I am not one to endorse police brutality, but if that bastard never saw the inside of a jail cell, I wouldn't be sad.
posted by Drood at 03:03 PM on April 09, 2009
I am not one to endorse police brutality, but if that bastard never saw the inside of a jail cell, I wouldn't be sad.
I know that this is a tragic, tragic incident and the bastard that did this and attempted to get away, deserves every awful thing that happens to him from this day forth but condoning murder doesn't solve anything nor does it bring Nick Adenhart or the other two passengers back.
Hatred against hatred doesn't equal peace and never will.
"Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits. Watch your habits, for they become character. Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny."
posted by BornIcon at 03:16 PM on April 09, 2009
Life's a fragile thing, and it sucks to be reminded of that fact. All my sympathy to those he left behind.
posted by tahoemoj at 04:16 PM on April 09, 2009
I was at the game last night, and the kid owned the A's hitters.
What a sad end to a young life.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 04:52 PM on April 09, 2009
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posted by dviking at 05:22 PM on April 09, 2009
I could have gone all week without hearing of something like this. It is just too sad.
posted by Howard_T at 05:55 PM on April 09, 2009
As some one who buried thier 4 yr old son because of a drunk driver I do believe the drunk should be taken out back and shot. Driving on a suspended licsense because of a prior DUI. We know he's guilty so just be done with this boil on humanity. My prayers go out to all of the families involved. What a preventable shame.
posted by spofomofo at 06:02 PM on April 09, 2009
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posted by somedude at 07:39 PM on April 09, 2009
BI, while I respect your position on this, I will take the low road. This bastard, loses his license due to a DUI, and noy only thinks he has the right to drive anyway, he also gets loaded before doing so.
To be taken out back and shot is just a tad too good for him. Is having him drawn and quartered an option?
He has no regard for the lives of others, so I see no reason to have any regard for his.
posted by dviking at 09:21 PM on April 09, 2009
sorry for the spelling error...s/b...and not only thinks he...
posted by dviking at 09:49 PM on April 09, 2009
A. Driving drunk once shows the same lack of regard for others as driving drunk twice.
B. Where were these types of comments regarding Stallworth? Is he not guilty of a very similar offense? Go back and read that thread and the comments are:
...Stallworth made a tragic error in judgment
...then he should go to jail and the family should sue Stallworth for as much as they can.
Don't let the cell door hit you on the ass on the way in Donte!!!
...Stallworth has to live with what he has done for the rest of his life
No talk of "the low road" or having him "quartered". Clearly the opinion is that Stallworth should just serve his time for killing some no-name dude while drunk. But some drunk no-name dude kills an athlete and people get out the pitchforks and rope. Kind of a double standard, eh?
posted by BoKnows at 10:01 PM on April 09, 2009
Nope. Shoot 'em both.
posted by wfrazerjr at 10:59 PM on April 09, 2009
Friend of my family lost her boyfriend to a scumbag drunk driver.
I'd gladly buy the gun.
posted by Drood at 11:09 PM on April 09, 2009
Bo, if I'd have chimed in on the Stalworth thread I'd have said the exact same thing. Some people just need to be ended so to speak.
posted by spofomofo at 11:55 PM on April 09, 2009
Bo Knows...why impose what I said in this thread onto what others said in another thread?
I never commented either way about what should be done to Stallworth...that thread, at the time I commented, was regarding whether, or not, the story would have received national media exposure had a NFL player not been involved. Sadly, the same is true for this story. If Adenhart was a 22 year old Walmart employee, I wouldn't know anything about this tragic accident. No need to redo that thread.
As to my earlier post, I never said that drunk driving once was somehow excusible, just was stating how he had a repeated lack of regard for the law, and for the lives of others. I think the repeat offender aspect does validate an increase in outrage, I know that the legal penalties increase wth each additional DUI/DWI.
Now, where is that mob forming, and where the hell is my pitchfork?
posted by dviking at 11:55 PM on April 09, 2009
dviking, your comment wasn't the only one, Drood's was much the same, as was spofomofo's. I did not intend on singling you out, nor did I direct that comment solely towards you.
As far as the increased penalties for repeat offenders is concerned, I agree that the need is there. But to me, it also says that the first DUI/DWI penalty received is not harsh enough to deter someone from accumulating multiple offenses.
Now, my opinion is not far from yours and drood's and spofomofo's, I was just making an observation of the differing opinions regarding the two similar stories.
posted by BoKnows at 12:08 AM on April 10, 2009
my bad...it's just that you took a fair number of others' comments from the Stallworth thread and then compared them to my comments from this thread.
Tragic stories to say the least.
posted by dviking at 01:50 AM on April 10, 2009
I take real offense at two of my thoughts on Stallworth being inserted in there. In the Stallworth thread, I expressed my sadness at the horrific outcome of the poor choice someone made. I did the same in this thread. Using my words to grind your axe is pretty fucked up.
Life's a fragile thing, and it sucks to be reminded of that fact. All my sympathy to those he left behind.
Stallworth made a tragic error in judgment
Stallworth has to live with what he has done for the rest of his life
If there's inconsistency there, it's escaping me.
posted by tahoemoj at 03:02 AM on April 10, 2009
tahoe, The inconsistency does not lie in any contradictory statements of yours. Your comments seem sincere, as they always do. The general consensus of the Stallworth thread was that he should face the harshest of penalties, as long as it was in jail. The situation here, because an athlete was the victim, has people calling for the perp's head. That doesn't sit well with me. Why should a name get treatment A, while someone else gets treatment B? If I had had 17,000 comments to refer to, I would have been more specific as to where exactly the inconsistency lies, but I don't, so I couldn't.
I wasn't trying to offend you, nor was I calling anybody out. But, I see a big difference between the two threads, the comments and the everyman opinion on the solution.
*the axe you speak of was that of the victim in the Stallworth thread being secondary to fill. It doesn't apply here, nor did I bring it up.
posted by BoKnows at 03:43 AM on April 10, 2009
Bo, you posted what I said about Stallworth (...then he should go to jail and the family should sue Stallworth for as much as they can....Stallworth has to live with what he has done for the rest of his life) in an attempt in making a point but suffice to say, but you failed.
I so happened to have made those comments and nowhere did I say to take either individual out back and shoot them in the head. With Stallworth being a pro athlete and driving while intoxicated when he hit & killed Mario Reyes, I do believe and said that Reyes' family should go after Stallworth's bankroll. It won't bring Mr. Reyes back but at least the family can be compensated.
To use what I said in another thread in order to make it seem as if I was one of the posters here to want blood is out of order. I was one to say that violence against the individual(s) that caused these horrible and careless acts is not the answer and should not be acted upon. I never had this type of thing happen to me or any member of my family or friends so I don't know what my train of thought would be at that unfortunate time so I can only go with what I believe right now.
spofomofo, I am truly sorry to hear about the loss of your son and can understand completely on why you would feel the way you do. Such a tragic and senseless ordeal.
posted by BornIcon at 09:33 AM on April 10, 2009
Not to dampen the enthusiasm of the blood-thirsty mob, but we all know people who have driven drunk. Some of us have done it ourselves -- I did once in my youth and was lucky nothing happened other than a car laying on its horn to narrowly avoid a collision on I-35 in Dallas. That was enough of a wake up call for me. I'd never get behind the wheel with even a single beer in my system.
But I know three relatives who've gotten DUIs, and the friend of a good friend killed a young mother driving drunk and had to serve jail time for it.
Every Major League Baseball game sends dozens, if not hundreds, of drunk fans back home on the roads.
So the notion that these are all monsters worthy of being executed for their crimes seems a bit farcical to me. They're our friends, relatives, and even ourselves. We can treat Andrew Gallo like some dog worthy of being put down, but everybody in this discussion knows somebody who can thank dumb luck for not killing anybody behind the wheel.
posted by rcade at 09:54 AM on April 10, 2009
I added a link with more details about the other three passengers in the car.
posted by rcade at 10:04 AM on April 10, 2009
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posted by DrJohnEvans at 11:13 AM on April 10, 2009
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posted by yzelda4045 at 12:20 PM on April 10, 2009
Gees people,
Tahoe and BI, the comments of yours that I used were the positive/humane/ethical ones. Why the two of you are offended, I have no idea. You guys didn't wish anyone harm, I know that. Nor did I attempt to say that you two were of the other camp now. What I did say was that the general feel of the threads is so different, and it's not just here. Other blogs have the same things going on. But you both can have your way, I will never use your comments in a positive way ever again.
posted by BoKnows at 12:32 PM on April 10, 2009
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posted by littleLebowski at 01:13 PM on April 10, 2009
Bo, this isn't intended to be condescending and please take it with a grain of salt - but, just walk away from this one. You're too high-quality of a poster. I haven't commented here in a while partially because I can't check the posts often, and when I do, you consistently have already posted my exact thoughts, better than I could've verbalized. I think I know what you're driving at here, but it was too easily misinterpreted (no fault on anyone's part, imho) and got off on the wrong foot and there may not be any salvaging your point.
Anyway, whatever the physical punishment, this Gallo character deserves to be treated as the menace to society that he's repeatedly proven that he is. More importantly, Adenhart's family deserve our prayers.
posted by littleLebowski at 01:23 PM on April 10, 2009
I have no problems with you or anyone using a quote of mines to make a point but please just make it clear as to what you mean.
There's truly no need for any one of us to be argumentative on this thread considering the topic, apparently it was just a misunderstanding. No harm no foul.
posted by BornIcon at 01:24 PM on April 10, 2009
I certainly don't want to belabor the point, Bo. I understand what you were trying to do, and I think you understand why I didn't appreciate being lumped into the generalization. I respect the point you were trying to make, if not the precise methodology. No reason to beat the horse any more.
posted by tahoemoj at 01:42 PM on April 10, 2009
Here's a heartbreaking story from the L.A. Times on how Adenhart's dad dealt with the news.
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posted by cjets at 03:54 PM on April 10, 2009
rcade, by the grace of G-d go I. Having said that friend, family or foe who drives on a suspended licsence after receiving a DUI and kills some one as a result deserves to spend the rest of their lives in jail or hell which ever comes first. To bring up how many leave a ball game drunk is not a valid arguement. All it states is that there are plenty of stupid and dangerous people leaving ball games. I have a 24 yr old son and has he ever driven drunk? I can give you a certain no. Even in his frat days he knew to call a friend, cab or me. My prayers are continued for the families involved. May all have a good Easter and a gut passover. a freylekhn peysekh!
posted by spofomofo at 03:56 PM on April 10, 2009
To somehow equate the fan driving home from a baseball game after having a few beers, and the actions of a man that after losing his license due to a DUI and still gets drunk and drives, is a stretch. I know people that have received DUI/DWI's, but none that continued to drive drunk without a license. I would not support those actions from anyone, and I would have been just as upset had someone I knew murdered three innocent people while doing so.
Now, do I really want him drawn and quartered? Perhaps not, but I don't think he deserves the same punishment that the fan driving home from the game deserves. The repeat nature of Gallo's crimes is what raises the bar on the level of punishment deserved.
My whole issue with the cross-referencing of posts from the Stallworth thread is that my comments on this thread were used to make some sort of point that there were inconsistencies on how we felt Stallworth and Gallo should be dealt with. I never commented on how Stallworth should be dealt with, so no inconsistencies on my part. And, I didn't feel it was fair for others to be used in that manner as well.
posted by dviking at 04:23 PM on April 10, 2009
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posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 05:05 PM on April 10, 2009
How many times have we heard someone say "But I just saw him (her) a little while ago..." Hug your kids when you see them head for the door and tell them you love them, because you just never know..............
posted by eccsport78 at 09:24 PM on April 10, 2009
I'm not arguing against severe punishment for Gallo. If he's guilty of driving drunk, his punishment should take into account the lives he ended with his actions. (Since he killed a celebrity, odds are pretty good it will.)
I brought up people leaving baseball games drunk because we all know this happens all the time, and it doesn't take a monster to kill people on the way home. It just takes one error in judgment.
Since we're all lamenting this tragedy and condemning drunk drivers, we ought to acknowledge that pro sporting events are one of the major producers of drunk drivers, particularly a sport that plays 162 games a year. Aside from cutting alcohol sales early, has anyone seen any other pro-active measures to reduce the number of people who drive home from the game drunk? I saw one sports group's proposal to reward designated drivers with their own wrist band that gives them a free soda at concessions. I can't recall seeing any effort like that in Jacksonville, but I've seen more people drunk off their ass than I can count.
posted by rcade at 10:41 PM on April 10, 2009
Well, the penalties for Gallo could be about as hard as the current legal system can do, as he's been charged with three counts of murder as well as the drunk driving charge.
posted by boredom_08 at 11:38 PM on April 10, 2009
rdade, I hear you on all of the alcohol initiatives that responsible sporting events could enact. If you're going to sell alcohol, you ought to be responsible for doing so in a responsible manner. I assume the Dram Shop rules that apply to bars also apply to sporting venues. And, I agree that I have seen many a fan completely drunk being served another beer. I guess the vendor figures they'll sober up during those last few innings when they can't by beer. Of course, at most ballparks, one only has to be aware that beers sales are going to end, and quickly buy a couple to last til the end of the game.
This case just doesn't involve a man that made one error in judgement. He made numerous over time, and took no responsiblitiy for his actions. it appears that he'll be off the streets for quite some time.
posted by dviking at 12:00 AM on April 11, 2009
My single dot is hiding a lot of incoherent anger (and fear).
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posted by Newbie Walker at 12:59 AM on April 11, 2009
If you get caught drunk driver I believe you should get another chance but as a repeat offender and to kill someone in the process should get you a pretty hefty jail sentence. Jail is a pretty awful place so I can't imagine how killing this guy would be right or better than the punishment he will probably get. This has to at least be DWI plus 3 counts of vehicular manslaughter (which can be a felony if the driver is intoxicated)
Everyone makes mistakes and Gallo made his already and he really fucked up his second chance. Hopefully he will learn his lesson if he survives what I hope is a lengthy jail sentence.
posted by HATER 187 at 02:48 PM on April 11, 2009
I brought up people leaving baseball games drunk because we all know this happens all the time, and it doesn't take a monster to kill people on the way home. It just takes one error in judgment.
But, similar to what Hater is saying above, this isn't one error in judgement. I count at least three errors in judgement. He already had one DUI. He drove drunk a second time and he ran a red light.
So this guy was either too blotto to know what he was doing, or he just didn't care. Either way, he's a fucking idiot who deserves to spend the rest of his life in jail. Hopefully a jail full of Angels fans.
posted by cjets at 05:42 PM on April 11, 2009
Truly sad. I think there is something a little different about victims of drunk drivers that contributes to raising the emotion. When I was 12, a drunk driver killed my friend coming home from baseball practice. That the drunk was also killed was of little comfort. My friend felt stolen from me. That such a cavalier decision could have such an enormous impact was both incredibly frightening - ergo, you are not truly in control of your safety - and deeply maddening - how could someone be so callous?
But I have also known people who have driven drunk. These people are my friends and relatives, and are far from monsters.
I don't have much sympathy for a two-time loser, but I'm not necessarily ready to be cut and dried of it. Part of me thinks his life is over anyway, and he should be processed accordingly - and part of me thinks that he needs to be made an example of (which is pretty fucking evil, when you think about it).
And we're reading about the story - it's a much different perspective from those involved in it. Easier to be mad and righteous about it.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 07:14 PM on April 12, 2009
Very sad. Yes to lengthy jail term. No to bloodthirsty calls for lynching drunk drivers.
posted by Hugh Janus at 03:31 PM on April 13, 2009
But I only want to lynch the ones that kill people while driving drunk with a suspended license due to a prior drunk driving violation. (actually, I wouldn't use the term lynch as it has racial connotations, I want to have them drawn and quartered)
It appears that this Gallo creature will be going away for a long time, so I'm fine with that.
posted by dviking at 05:25 PM on April 13, 2009
Damn, that's just sad. I was hearing the Angels game on my iPhone and so I heard about the 6 scoreless innings he was having and was amazed how a rookie can settle in a zone like that. It's a shame because we'll never know how good he could've been and a young life was taken along with 2 others.
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