The Twin Cities father of an eight-month-old girl who died when the family’s vehicle crashed through the ice of Lake Minnetonka last winter was recently sentenced for his role in connection with her death.
The 47-year-old man was drunk the night he drove his family home from Lord Fletchers restaurant and decided to cut across the ice between Priests Bay and Halstead Bay. The ice was too thin and the vehicle broke through. The man, his wife and their other child managed to escape, but the little girl did not. She was rescued, but not before she spent 15 minutes underwater. She died three days later.
According to the Star Tribune, the man was sentenced to 57 months in prison and five years’ probation, but that sentenced will be suspended if the man shares his story 100 times over the next five years. We presume that “sharing his story” will mean presenting to victim-impact panels and alcohol-awareness groups and the like.
The judge presiding over the case commented that “if there’s hell on earth, you’re living in it.”
As a Minneapolis DWI attorney, I wanted to share this story as a cautionary tale as to the kind of heartbreak drinking and driving can cause. of course, we all make mistakes — each of us is human, after all — but it is absolutely vital that we all be very careful and scrupulous. After all, it is not just our own health and well-being that are at stake; those of others are at risk, too.
If you ever need to contract a DWI defense attorney who serves the Twin Cities area, please know that you can contact us.