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Update on Jason Haas Car Accident 173

Posted by Hemos from the kind-words-and-good-feelings dept.
kTag sent us a page of daily updates from the wife of Jason Haas, LinuxPPC developer. For those who hadn't heard, Jason was in a bad car accident a bit over a week ago. Keep Jason in your thoughts. Any e-mail addressed to him will be forwarded.
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Update on Jason Haas Car Accident More

Update on Jason Haas Car Accident

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  • Drunk driving assholes (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    God, the friends I wish I could have back that were killed by drunk drivers. My wife and I were smashed into by a drunk who ran a stoplight in a pickup truck - amazing that we survived (a cop sitting at the intersection witnessed it, came up to our car and saw we were alive, and he actually started crying). I'm glad Slashdot put this up, it's a good reminder of what can happen, and it can affect our community.

  • Healing Brain Injury (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    I work with a company that specializes in the healing of traumatic brain injury through the uses of hyperbaric oxygen. While I won't sponser my company by giving its name, as I mean this reply to be an objective suggestion, I urge you to do research on brain injury and hyperbaric oxygen (100% oxygen rather than 21%, applied under pressure). As you likely know, the cell process in which healing works requires oxygen. Getting the oxygen pressurized and at 100% allows it to get deep into the brain, and allows more healing and recovery of injured cells (including neurons). Do research this therapy as I have seen direct evidence, firsthand, of it offering tremendous improvements to severe TBI and Stroke patients. It is not very well known at this time but its use and accepetance is widening daily. Best of luck to a speedy recovery for Jason.

  • Re:Drunk Driving is preventable (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    With regard to drinking age, I find it's usually the 40 to 50 somethings who are the worst offenders. Those of us under 30 have grown up with stricter drink driving laws and tend to plan our nights out around designated drivers etc..

  • Health insurance (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    I'm assuming you are in the U.S. since you are asking this. Start a business (with partner(s) if necessary) and hire some employees so you can get a group plan. Two examples of this I've seen work well (reason I'm posting AC is because my sister is one of them)...

    1) A friend of mine was hugely overweight, big health risk. He also didn't like the corporate career thing, so getting on a health plan at work was out. He started a small business and had three employees, and got a health plan for them with himself, naturally, on the plan. He told me that the group health insurance rate for he and his employees was cheaper than quotes he had when he looked for health insurance for himself alone.

    2) My sister has a serious heart condition - since childhood doctors have told her to enjoy every day as if it were her last. No one wanted to consider her for health insurance. So she and a couple of friends partnered up and started a small business and got a group health insurance plan, so now she's covered.

    So, my two cents is that there is a way that's pretty reasonable.

  • A few years ago, I hit my head pretty hard (all though nowhere near as hard as this) and woke up in hospital.

    Man, I was *all* screwed up. Didn't know where I was, didn't remember the past two weeks, would fixate on dumb things, babbled my head off....

    In short, I did all the things that he's doing now.

    It may be confusing and frustrating as hell for Cassie right now, but this is all normal for head trauma. He'll get better, eventually. I did. I'm fine.

    Hell, I even got most of those two missing weeks back. ;)

    Someone want to pass this along to Cassie? Been there, done that, got better.

  • I really question the humanity of some of the comment posters. I mean really, what good does it do you do say really awful things about someone who has done a lot of work to help others?

    I use linuxppc and its not the slickest distro but its pretty nifty and does the job well, and I get to use hardware that I might not be able to if it weren't for his work.

    Are you really craving for attention? Is it my fault for posting this and giving you more attention?

    I would appreciate it if some of the AC's and others who made comments above would just reply to this and comment why you feel the need to say such things. Do you not believe that Jason is a real person?

    kfort
  • I certainly hope he is not, but even if he is brain damaged, he could still write COBOL applications.
  • There was a NY Times article on 3/21 describing how manufacturers will be modifying SUVs over the next couple of years to make them do less damage to cars they collide with. This was evidently a sea change in how the manufacturers were responding to the accumulated tragedies like Jason's.

    Unfortunately the kinds of changes the article describes are difficult or impossible to retrofit to the vehicles on the road already. For example, SUV's tend not to have crumple zones so they transmit the full force of impact to the other vehicle.

    -- SP

  • The reason you'd be killed is not because your car weighs less or has the windows at the wrong height (although they are factors), it's because the car is so rigid that you'd be like an egg in a toolbox.

    It really aggravates me to see more and more SUV's on the road. It's not too long before driving cars like my Toyota Echo (Yaris in most parts of the world, about 850 kg dry) is dangerous not because it is one the safest small cars in the world, but because of this single equation:

    p = mv

    SUV's steal my safety by being heavier, more structurally rigid (due to marketing requirements, not safety requirements) and usually driven by aggressive drivers who completely overestimate their own driving skills. The only solution is a move towards more tank-like cars, which imposes a heavy burden on our environment.

    My best wishes to Cassie, and to Jason - I don't know you, but I hope you get well soon.

  • What an awful thing to happen. Best wishes to Cassie -- I hope she can maintain her strength for the long road ahead.

    This may not be the right forum, but I was curious if anyone had experience with the interaction of programming and head trauma. Head trauma can leave you with fairly subtle neurocognitive defects, and I had always assumed that this would interfere with your ability to write code after the fact.

    Does anyone have news of programmers who either lost or regained their ability to code after an accident?

    James Cook

  • I'd tell you, but you apparently can't handle basic interpersonal skills.

    If you must know, dig around www.woz.org and you'll find a reference to it. Or, hope someone is more kind than I and tells you.

    - Jeff A. Campbell
    - VelociNews (http://www.velocinews.com [velocinews.com])
  • "And I should care... why?"
    If you honestly don't know or understand why you shouldn't be totally indifferent to someone else's suffering and misfortune, I fear that any attempts to explain it to you would be in vain. If you don't already understand, you probably will never be capable of understanding.
  • Sure you'll avoid a lot of trolls, but there is a damn lot of biting truth in what some trolls say. Threshold=1 gives you a watered down "me too" slashdot. 0 gives you a much better outlook. -1 gives you a good number of laughs and a chance to see a few of the trolls are actually really talented at what they do. I mean.. who could honestly say that the columbine brats/jon katz murder/molestation stories are crap? There's some quality writing in them stories. If you haven't already, I suggest you read them all. For your reading convenience, here are the links: Part 1 [slashdot.org], part 2 [slashdot.org], and the final chapter... part 3 [slashdot.org].
  • eek! Now someone is going to moderate me down cuz I screwed up the link on part 1! I'm sorry and I'll never do it again. I promise.

  • If you don't know, I hope you will learn someday... but it's nothing that can be taught with words.

  • The brain is like a big computer with a good
    backup tape. As long as the system isn't running
    under winblows he should be allright.

    Back in 84 I was once in a situation where I
    didn't remember anything of the previous 14 years,
    including my wife. My wife managed to reinstall
    the backup tape with a lot of kindness and talk
    about my cats, things that always meant a lot
    to me ever since I was a tiny one.

    To Cassie, a lot of love and attention will
    be the best medicine any man can dream of.

    My best wishes to both of you.

    Michel Catudal
    at www.netonecom.net/~bbcat
  • One of the first things I learned as a widow is that there are more people than you think who will kick you when you're down. It's a sad thing to have to learn.

    I don't think the comments reflect especially ill of the slashdot community; rather, they are a reflection of the human tendency toward inhumanity.

    We as people rarely see this inhumanity, so it seems surprising to us. All I can say is: this is the warning shot, don't be surprised when you're grieving and you are on the receiving end yourself.

    Better to know it exists and be prepared for it than be blindsided like I was.

    _Deirdre
  • It is truly tragic when something like this happens. I personally know what it is like to be in a very little car and get hit by a very big truck. I was stopped waiting to turn in my 1990 nissan sentra last august when a full-size GMC truck rear-ended me. He was doing probably at least 50. The whole back of the car was smashed in. If I would have had rear seat passengers they would have been dead or at least severly crippled. Thankfully when I was pushed into oncoming traffic by the collision I got hit by another car which saw me in time and was breaking when it hit me instead of a truck or something like that. Luckily I came out of the accident with only a fractured rib(which hurt like hell for about a month) and a severly bruised collar bone. I still have scar tissue on it probably will for the rest of my life. And as for the guy who hit me. Well, he was able to walk over and tell me he was sorry while I was sitting in what used to look like my car. He didn't get a ticket or anything. That kinda made me mad. But anyway, the point of this story is this.

    Prior to the accident I was very busy...doing so many thing....life was way more complicated than it should have been. I was working 50+ hours a week and taking a college trig class also. It took know that I could have died in that accident to make me realize that there is a lot more to life than school and work. Sure programming neat stuff and working at all hours of the night might seem cool at the time but what is really important is that you just take time to enjoy the simple things in life.

    Get well soon Jason!
  • KE is only half of the equation :)

    I know my argument was kind of simple, but did I really deserve that level of pun-ishment? ;-)

    You make a good point, though - a well-constructed vehicle, regardless of size, will survive an accident in much better shape than a poorly constructed one. Take a look at Volvos. Extremely ugly little beasts, IMHO, and actually not all that large - but put together like a small tank, from what I understand.

    Going with more mass, though, is a cheap and easy way to get the same effect, which is probably why SUVs are popular. I know that's why I drive one; I had a Geo Metro destroyed by a car going 15 MPH when I was stopped. I walked away, but I knew I wanted something a little sturdier; and a good, sturdy, smaller car was about twice the cost of an SUV.

    Having driven larger vehicles most of my life, though (the Geo being a small diversion), I agree that there should probably be different licensing requirements for them - a too-cautious SUV driver can be as much of a menace as a too-reckless driver.

  • A 1999 Honda Civic Si, going the same speed, will turn my little plastic car into a pancake. Reason? Size. Size always matters in cars.
    Size isn't the same as mass, though. Your main problem here is that a smaller car, if made entirely out of steel, would probably still tear through your car, just based on construction (steel vs. plastic - place your bets.) From what I can see, the newer SUVs are becoming more lightweight, using less steel, etc. - in other words, they're evolving towards taller station wagons. The heavier SUVs are still there, of course, but are staying expensive while the smaller mini-SUVs become lighter and cheaper.

    And as for your comment about speed - speed certainly does matter more than size/mass - ask anyone who's ever caught a bullet.

  • Do some math... the relevant equation is:

    KE = 0.5mv^2

    In other words, a 2-ton SUV travelling at 50mph has approximately the same KE as a 1-ton subcompact travelling at 70mph. The most significant factor isn't the size of the vehicle, it's the speed of the vehicle. Anyone stupid enough to drive drunk is stupid enough to speed; couple that with their impaired reactions and judgement, and it doesn't matter if they're drving a Dodge Dart or a Humvee.

  • You have a valid point about car ownership. Buddies get together to drink, and the one able to stand takes the wheel of his innebriated friend's car. It happens often. There's no easy answer, and making it too hard for the drunk driver will restrict the life of non-drinking drivers as well. I don't want to breathe in a tube every time I need to run to the store. That said...

    As for the murder aspect, if you are able to think clearly enough to bypass the breathalyser, then you are aware enough to wait until IT tells you that you are sober. Intent to endanger others is clear to me here, and intentionally causing death is 2nd degree murder.

    As with my baloon of clear air example, this is something that would have to be premeditated. Premeditation is what makes it murder in the 1st degree. If you're already drunk, and get a sober person to start the car, then they're an accomplice.

    The only thing left out is the killing of a SPECIFIC person. This makes it harder to call it murder. Would you then settle for willfull and premeditated intent to endanger, resulting in homicide? Up the fine/penalty to the levels of murder and I'll sign off on it.

    I rather like this since if a person is pulled over as DUI, then either the breathalyser failed (provable) or they (or an accomplice) bypassed it. Premeditated intent to endanger for both parties involved.

    Now, let's throw a biometric device like a retina scanner into the mix, making it hard to fake the test, and we might have a workable system. We're heading towards key-less cars as it is, so this is not as far-fetched as it first appears.
  • I wish I could remember the link, but...
    There is a device that can be installed in your car, wired to the ignition, which requires you to breathe into a little tube an show an acceptable BAC (blood alcohol content) before the car starts.

    Yes, this device can be circumvented - keep a baloon on hand and inflate it before you start drinking. But, if this device was mandatory for anyone who has ever been stopped for DUI, and bypassing the device guaranteed a charge of Murder as opposed to manslaughter, in the event of a DUI death; well... It might be enough of a deterent and inconvenience to stop MOST drunk drivers.

    I don't think MOST drunk drivers out there mean to drive drunk. I think that MOST are hyped up by the booze, are overconfident and impared just enough to blame it on 'being tired'. These folks need a reality check, and this device would provide that.

    The fall-down, "can't get the key in the lock", "how did I get home" kind of drunk driver is a different matter entirely. These guys are somewhere between sociopathic (you're drunk, you know it, you don't care) and mentally disturbed (you've had enough to kill a horse, but it hasn't fazed you - you have your own reality). There little solution to this.

    Most people mean well. They're unable to assess impairment, as you've pointed out. You are right, alcohol tends to mask the extent of it's effect. The solution is to err on the side of safety. If you've been drinking, and (being a well-meaning, intelligent person) have to think about your level of impairment, then you are too impaired to drive. But, at this rate, you'll never drive until morning, because there's a fine line between impaired and simply tired.

    The "one hour per dose" rule is a good one. One beer, shot or glass of wine is typically metabolized in one hour by a light-weight drinker like myself. Wait the right number of hours. Entertain yourself by figuring out the alcohol's 'half-life' as it is consumed over time. But sit on your rump for the full number of hours.

    I've rambled long enough. :)
  • I saw the LinuxPPC address in Hales Corners (I used to live in Franklin myself) and presumed it was Jason's; only after I read further in the recovery diary did I see the Savannah address for the hospital :(

    So, putting this in context, what is the status of the following in Savannah:

    1. Public Transit Service After Hours.
    2. Overnight Parking Bans.
    3. License Revocations with Teeth.

    And what's the word on where the other driver was coming from? Was it a bar, or was he somewhere where he could drink with some underage friends?

    If we work constructively on solutions, we can beat the drunk driving problem. Unfortunately, all-too-often, MADD comes across as a latter-day WCTU; even their name suggests that they aren't necessarily inclined to act rationally :)





    This is my opinion and my opinion only. Incidentally, IANAL.
  • Jeremy,

    Dammit man I feel for you. I have nightmares about this happening to my family constantly...
    but I have *no* earthly clue what it actually feels like.

    And no one else ever will except you, which means I guess you've got to be your own strongest source of support. Man, that's so hard, it's gotta be so hard.

    If you're looking for sources of light, maybe later on down the road you'll be able to change someone's life, to take these feelings and turn them into honest I've-been-there empathy. Take someone else who's known sadness beyond pets, sports, divorce, etc. Take them and actually be able to touch them and make a difference.

    I wish I could do something to actually help. Keep fighting man, and don't be afraid to just stop, drop, and cry. Don't keep it inside.

    -Seth
  • I can personally verify that cycling while drunk is stupid. After a night drinking a friend and I convinced each other to tour the local "House of Ill Repute" while I was in a country (really most countries) where such things are legal, accepted and taxed. Anyway I kept accidently jumping up and down off the curb and finally hit a section of curb that I didn't see and went head over handlebars onto the cement. Luckilly for me I have a small, thick skull and didn't suffer anything more than superficial damage but still . . . Dumb.
  • There are jerks in every community.

    They're the same people that can't have a positive attitude if their life depends on it, and in my opinion they scrounge off a community (any community, not just this one) rather than being a part of it.

    I've never been interested in Jason's work before, and frankly right now I don't really care about what he's done or what he'd be able to do. What I see is a (freshly-formed) family going through a hard time, and I think I see a community responsive to their ordeals.

    Those of us that can't be positive about this (or anything else, for that matter) can just go cower in their little hole, I don't care.

    Jason, Cassie, hang on. You won't be alone in facing this.
  • Not to make a joke out of any of this and not to make fun of you but..

    "Get on a bike or bus instead..."

    I'd really love to see someone that's drunk try to ride a bike. I'm sure it would provide for hours of entertainment which, in the end, may prove to b e just as dangerous as driving a car while drunk and surely more painfull to ones ego..

    Geoff
  • Hi Cassie.. :) Hey, watch the hospital inbox for a little gift within the next few days..One for you, and one for Jason!

    Bowie

    Bowie J. Poag
    Project Founder, PROPAGANDA For Linux (Moving to MetaLab/UNC!)
  • This is kind of creepy for me. I have been a longtime user of LinuxPPC (back when it was distributed on gold CD-R) and actually have a mail from Jason dated the night of his accident. I have personally driven a slight bit knockered before, but now I'll definately think twice before getting in the car...
  • Sadly, this is what happens when people drink and drive. Why is there a 'legal' limit? Isn't it still possible for someone to do this same thing after drinking part of a beer or something and be just under the legal limit? Personally, those legal limits should be 0.0. But then again, in Jason's case, I don't believe it would have helped. Or could it? Could the drunk have been pulled over before this happened and was just under?

    I'm glad my dad quit drinking 5 years ago. I wouldn't want even my enemies to go through the hell that I went through during his quitting process.

    --
  • Unfortunately, I don't think it would matter WHO this posting was about --Jason Haas, Linus, Bill Gates-- you are always going to get jerks on here spouting off "who cares" and telling dead body jokes. They may not really even agree with what they're posting; they're just doing it to piss off the rest of us.

    Which means they're still jerks, of course.

    --
  • Yes, but statistically light truck vs light truck accidents cause less severe injuries than car vs car accidents.

    Perhaps we should be requiring the drivers of small cars to sign a disclaimer acknowledging they're on the road with larger, safer (to the occupants) vehicles (I do not really advocate this, I believe that part of personal responsibility is realizing the risks of driving).
  • I didn't know Jason, and this morning is the first time I hear his name. But I can still feel for what he and his loved ones are going through. Maybe this isn't news that affects my life, but a bit of sympathy for others would be nice.

    If you haven't anything nice to say, keep it to yourself.
  • I am sorry. You must have been through something awful to be able to see a man and those who love him in pain and say so what. I am so sorry.

    I really hope that Jason and his family get through this. And I really hope that you feel better too. I'm not going to tell you that someday when you are in pain, maybe you'll understand, because it sounds like you are in a world of hurt right now. I hope you've found the support and love you need to pull through.

    Do you want to know the real answer to so what? Because sometimes things happen that are awful enough to make us feel like not caring, and someone has to remind us that they love us and care about us, and need us to care back. Because you and your voice and your support matter.

    Saying so what is sad, not for Jason and the rest of the world, but for yourself, because you're denying your own right to care. And so I wanted to tell you I'm sorry, and I hope you feel better, because that's got to feel awful.

    Hava
  • Simply seconded...

    (although I *am* "religious", I suppose, and praying for him... :)
  • Whatever....

    By brother had severe head trauma from an accident as well. A gentl guy turned crazily violent and had to be restrained 24 hours a day for 2 weeks following the accident. He didnt even remember his family (me, his sister for all of his 16 years, mom, dad).

    About 3 weeks into he started to remember long term stuff (like who we were).

    After about 2 months he fully recovered all memory until about 10 minutes before the accident and about a month after.

    He's fine now, but has some wicked scars under his hair. My brother Jason was much worse off in terms of brain function than this other Jason seems to be, I bet he'll be just fine.
  • Too bad you didn't properly read the status reports...You would have known that he was driving a HONDA CIVIC.

    Sheesh, don't people ever READ?

  • OMG (Score:1)

    by segmond ( 34052 )
    I just looked @ the pictures of the car, and it is a total miracle he survived. I am wondering, assuming I decide to write open source software for a career, how easy is it to get full coverage of medical insurace?

  • that should weed out the AC's and the general outlook is much better.


    john
  • I drive a 1987 Honda Civic CRX Si, small, quick, 40mpg too. Not to mention that it's a cheap buy and fun to work on. (With only 2 seats, it's a great method of birth-control also. :-) A 1999 Honda Civic Si, going the same speed, will turn my little plastic car into a pancake. Reason? Size. Size always matters in cars. While the Civic is not that much bigger than my CRX, that extra size will turn me into a dead man if hit the right way. Now change it up. 1999 Honda Civic and let's say (since I don't know the type of SUV this particular drunk bastard was driving) a Nissan Xterra. If they both were going 30 that Civic is still going to be minced meat! Size and weight make a hell of a lot more difference than speed (although, speed does not help save lives that's for sure!)
  • One to frankie, the other to Millennium:

    frankie: Millennium is right - it isn't the car that is at fault, it's the driver behind the wheel. With your logic, one could argue as to why Jason was driving such a small vehicle, rather than something larger (though in this case, that small vehicle probably saved his life - did you see how much impact the car assorbed and distributed around the cab - incredible). I don't think we need more laws or tests or other restrictions on vehicles - I think we need more responsible people driving (of course, I could see only giving licenses to those people who demonstrate responsible actions on a test).

    Millennium: What happened? Did you get to the Honda Civic portion and drop the word "Civic", thus forming your idea that Jason was riding a motorcycle? While I agree with your sentiment that "it's the driver, not the car", please read a little more carefully in the future...

    Finally, I wish Jason and Cassie the best of luck - I hope he comes back full and strong from this setback, and hopefully sues the fucker who hit him into oblivion (I am not a fan of lawsuits, but in this case there was gross negligence on the part of the other driver, and that driver should pay up ).

  • Hmm... (Score:1)

    by cr0sh ( 43134 )
    But they are light trucks - not vehicles that are covered under the provisions for a CDL. IIRC, a CDL requires a certain tonnage to be met before such a license is required (and SUV's do not come anywhere near close enough).

    I agree with you that many people who drive SUV's drive them like cars (and some, much to there peril, drive them like sport cars!), something should be done. But I don't think regulation is the answer (we already have ENOUGH regulations as it is).

    Maybe what is needed is in order to buy or have a license for one of these vehicles, you would need to take a lengthy test-track kind of test to show you can handle the vehicle safely (kinda like what you need to do for a CDL, but it would be for a normal license, or to use your normal license for the new vehicle)? Does this sound like a good plan?

  • Hmm... (Score:1)

    by cr0sh ( 43134 )
    A couple of the provisions (it may not be in every state, but I suspect it is) for a CDL is that a) you must have a physical done at time of renewal of license (every two years or so) and b) you must fill out inspection forms prior to driving the vehicle (as well as staying withing certain load limits). Let me tell you - I don't want to do either one of those things, for my Ford Ranger.

    My fiance's brother-in-law drives a 10 wheel dump truck for a living, on a contract basis. Are you aware of the amount of shit he has to put up with while on the road. Just seeing a cop makes him flinch, and reach for his log book - just in case. For commercial drivers, cops have nothing better to do than pull you over - it could be for something as minor as a dusty license plate. They will pull you over, make you clean it, then hand you a $300 ticket just for spite. Have an oil drip (and on a 20 year old dump truck, who the fuck wouldn't) - wham, fine 'em! Then make them PARK by the side of the road, find a ride back home, and tow the damn thing - or make you, the driver, FIX it, right there.

    So now all light truck owners would have to do a pre-drive inspection on their vehicles before moving them an inch - better hope that brake light works (oh, yeah - if you have any lights on the vehicle - ALL OF THE LIGHTS have to work. It could be a damn dashboard LED, that indicated nothing, it would have to work). I don't know about you, but I have better things to do with my time than climb underneath my vehicle on a cold morning prior to going to my coding job.

    I don't expect them to move light trucks up to CDL level - maybe split the light truck class weight, and give a more stringent test (a stress test would be good, to weed out the crazy power hungry folks) for the upper end license.

    You did get me on my solution be more regulation (and my contradiction with it). Perhaps rather than giving this special test to only a certain class of drivers, all drivers should be required to take such a test (maybe with a psych-eval too).
  • ...any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind. Therefore, do not send to know for whom the bell tolls -- it tolls for thee.
    - John Donne


    The same sentiment goes for injury like this. I have never heard of this guy, but he has obviously touched many. My best wishes to everyone close to him.

    snookums (who has lost a relative to a drunk-driver)
  • The brain's rather strange in these situations. I was in a car accident many years ago that left me unconscious for hours, waking up in a strange hospital and no idea how I got there.

    My injuries were nowhere near Jason's in severity, but a strong concussion left me with no clue what day it was. All I could figure out was late July or early August. Strangely, I could remember breakfast that day, and my last code build number, but nothing after about ten minutes before the accident.

    His ramblings sound eerily familiar, I have odd recollections of babbling in fragments of coherency that gradually made more and more sense.

    It's sounds like he's recovering, albeit slowly, let's just keep hoping.

  • Forget SUV's. Tractor trailors must go!
    We don't need deliveries in this country, we can
    get by without a shipment infrastructure.
    And I side with you in hoping gas prices climb to 2 or 3 dollars a gallon! That would also mean
    fuel oil prices and deisil prices and plastics and about a million related products would also go through the roof. Think of all those morons freezing to death in northern states this winter!
    That's so COOL. Not to mention the price of a plane ride back to wherever you come from costing
    10 times what it does now. I'm so with you on this one.
  • Actually, this was tried before (I forget where) and it made no difference at all. The device was attached to the ignition system of repeat offenders. It's not the habitual idiots that are the brunt of the problem -- it's easy enough to revoke their priv. to live.

    Your idea will be just as (in)effective as governors on busses and golf carts.
  • Yeah... the death penalty for drunk driving. But even that won't stop people.
  • Nah, everything is still in there but it's been badly fragmented. The human brain is an amazing creation -- quite capable of self-repairing.

    It took awhile for my grandfather to recover from having a softball sized tumor removed from his head. (If he hadn't been 90 at the time he probablly would have fully recovered and lived for many more years.) It took a fair amount of therapy to get everything straightened out; it would take him a little longer than usual to remember things -- he'd know the red, round thing on the table was an apple, but he couldn't recall the word "apple" (it was explained as problem with the communication between the two hemispheres of the brain.)

    I, for example, took a hefty thwack as a kid (about 20 years ago now) when I fell out of a tree swing. As I'm told, I was never unconscious for more than a few minutes. However, I had no sense of balance for a few days. (Scared the shit out of the family doctor :-)) The fall didn't mess up any memories, but it did mess up part of the visual cortex -- that's why I wear glasses; my eyes don't normally focus correctly unless I put some effort into it (read: give myself one hell of a headache) (that really pisses off my eye doc as it generally doesn't matter which lens he puts in front of me.)
  • Dont be discouraged if they tell you that it will be a long time before Jason gets all of his memories back. If you fell in love once, you will again :) Keep hope, and stay optimistic and talk with those close to you; I'm sure that they'll be there to support you. Hang in there, and hang in there, both of you. You have the best wishes from tens of thousands of people.
  • The comment isn't intended to callus the reaction of this tragedy. The point is that we were asked to keep this person in our thoughts, instead of our prayers. You'll have to excuse me if I don't find this to be overly effective...
  • Keep Jason in your thoughts. Yeah, that'll help. We are all familiar with the power of thought...

    Nice goal, horrible implementation. Try again.
  • Sometimes, seeing the pain of others reminds us just how lucky we are... I hope that you come to understand the word compassion. It is one of the few things that make us all equal. I am very sorry for this man's pain. His family will need to be very strong.
  • Well, I can't even claim to know the guy, but about a year back, when I first started tinkering with LinuxPPC, we exchanged a few emails and I thought that it was cool that he was taking time to answer them, as well as coding and running the company. I had heard of the accident, but I didn't realize it was that bad. Yikes.

    Well, Jason, I'm installing LinuxPPC 2000 as we speak, after seeing the initial preview, and I can tell anyone that the LinuxPPC team has come a long way. This install goes out to you. :)

    Best wishes,
    Hacksworth
  • in California, BUI (biking under the influence) is a crime, I think on the same level as DUI (driving under the influence)

  • So you would ban driving after using a mouthwash?
    Zero tolerance rules might seem like a good idea, until you begin to examine what you are measuring.

    How about statistical error? NOTHING in a sample experiment is 100%. Of course, the people enforcing the ruls don't tend to show any knowledge of such things.
  • Installing breath-testers in every car that someone has been stopped for a DUI in...Ok, but what if the car doesnt belong to the person who is driving at the time? By stopped, do you mean convicted? Not every person accused of an offense is gulty.

    Murder. By changing the charge, you are changing the definition. Here's an example. This guy (sorry, the newspaper article isnt handy at the moment) hit and killed a person while driving drunk. The DA decided to charge him with 1st degree murder instead of manslaughter, and the jury agreed. OK, point for MADD, et al.

    The problem with this is: 1st degree murder means that you were capable of making rational decisions, and thought about the act before hand. If drinking impairs your rational abilities, then this violates part 1, and I find it quite unlikely that the driver thought about killing the person ahead of time. There goes part 2. What we have left is: 1st degree murder now includes willful neglegence that leads to death.
    This opens up all sorts of possibilities. Im sure you can think of a few.
  • actually, I was thinking more along the lines of being forced to take a breath test immediately after using the mouth wash. An unlikely situation, but it's still something to consider.
  • I dont think that thinking about bypassing a test is the same as thinking about killing. If this were the case, then you open up an infinite number of possibilities for allowable pre-meditation. Does filling the tank before a night of drinking count? It certainly is an enabling act. How about sharpening a knife that is later used to stab a person?

    I also have to disagree that being able to use a breathalyser proves that a person should know that they cant drive. It's pretty easy to recall from past events that blowing into a tube makes the car work. Past experience might not cover knowing when enough is enough. This is looking alot like an analisys of how children learn. "To make the cookies, turn on the stove. Mom didnt burn herself, so I dont know anything about that"
  • Ahh. Police in California ask you to take a breath test any time they feel like it. Refuse, and you lose your license for a year. Technically, you have your choice of tests, between breath, blood and urine. In practice, they give a second test if the first doesn't come out positive. As the second takes too long to confirm (blood and urine tests get sent off to a lab, with results taking weeks at times), it tends to stop there.

    I've seen situations where things are going perhaps a bit too slowly, so out comes the accusations of intoxication. At which point, they throw a variety of field sobriety tests at the person, lock them in the back of the squad car, and proceed to search the person's vehicle.

  • Taking votes? Dude, you miss the point. The point is that God listens . God could do anything He feels like, anytime He wants, but He prefers us to take an active participatory role.

  • it isn't the car that is at fault, it's the driver behind the wheel.

    Of course the drunk driver is at fault for causing the accident. He deserves prison time and a fat damages settlement against him.

    But I still argue that his SUV is to blame for making the accident worse. Statistically, car vs car injuries are less serious than car vs truck. Most suburban idiots (drunk or sober) drive SUVs as if they're just cars, but they are trucks, and their drivers should be regulated as such.

  • I don't think regulation is the answer ... Maybe what is needed is in order to buy or have a license for one of these vehicles, you would need to take a lengthy test-track kind of test

    An additional test requirement sounds suspiciously like regulation to me. ;-) About the official distinction between truck and light truck -- I think the simplest solution is for the US DoT to repeal that distinction (implicitly narrowing the scope of a standard license). Look, that way there's less regulation, fewer categories of the law, so that must be a good thing!

  • Cassie, Keep up the good work supporting Jason, but make sure to leave enough time for yourself to make it to the next day. Once upon a time I was married 4 months, and my wife took a spill on a ski slope. What started out as a fairly trivial knee injury quickly escalated into a life or death situation in the ER when she developed multiple blood clots in her lungs (7 or 8) including one between her heart and her lungs. She spent 8 days in the hospital with me by her side as she pumped full of dangerous drugs to remove the clots and keep her blood thin. Eventually, the catheters and the rest of it were slowly removed and she could start Rehab (which lasted months because the leg hadn't been moved in so long). Its a rough road, I won't kid you, but you need to be strong for him. And like I said, you need to make sure you keep enough to yourself that you can continue to support him day by day. Also, if you can make him laugh once in awhile that means the world. One of my precious memories was shaving exactly 1/2 my face after letting a 8 day beard grow (I spent my nights sleeping in a hospital chair so I figured why not) and getting her to laugh at that after a major medical setback. My best wishes and prayers are with you. BTW, in case you are wondering how a knee injury turns into blood clots, its smoking + the pill + overweight + having a major limb in a brace for a week. Also, sorry for the AC post but she would kill me if she found out I was talking about this (she made a full recovery and doesn't want the attention for it).

  • Because... (Score:2)

    by Anonymous Coward

    There's several different approaches we can use to try and explain this that might get through to your reptilian little brain.

    First...the Darwinian/game theory approach: we are social animals; those who show some degree of altruism and care for the welfare of others benefit in the long term from the support such a society provides. Those who care are more likely to be cared about, and reap the benefits (exchange of favors, trust, etc) that that entails. It's a form of contract where we as a group agree that if you look out for my interests, I'll look out for yours, and we'll mutually benefit.

    Second, the value of the individual: each person has a unique set of abilities, knowledge, and potential. The loss of that individual thus would rob us as a group of a valuable resource. It is in our best interest to look out for each individual's welfare.

    Third, the tribal approach: Jason is one of our own. He has contributed greatly to the Open Source community, and will likely continue to contribute once (if?) he recovers. His continued health benefits all of us.

    Fourth, the empathic approach: You've just had a car accident and you're in the hospital, gravely hurt. You are being fed through a plastic tube run through your nose and down into your belly. Another tube goes down your throat to your lungs, breathing for you. You have IV needles in your arm and you have to piss through a catheter. You're blind in one eye, and looking at the world through a drug induced haze with the other, at a mixedup world that doesn't make much sense to you. Despite the drugs, you are in incredible pain. Your memories all run together in a nonsensical jumble and you vaguely remember what thinking coherently felt like, but only distantly. And now imagine you're going through all this and nobody cares. Pretty bleak, eh? It could be you in that bed, fighting to come back, needing all the help and encouragement you can get. Starting to understand a little?

    --WhiskeyJack

  • I just made a donation in honor of Jason and Cassie. They'll be in my dreams.
    ----------------------------
  • Stop blaming everything on SUV's. Clearly, the driver of the SUV was at fault; he (she?) was drunk.

    However, take a look at those pictures. Jason managed to do one hell of a lot of damage to the SUV (if I remember right, he was on a motorcycle; that gives you an idea of the difference in scale). All other things being equal, had the driver been using a Bug it would simply have been torn apart, and Jason would be just as hurt (plus the driver would have been hurt even worse than he (she?) may be now).

    So please, don't blame the car for the accident. It was the driver who was at fault, not the vehicle. Jason was on a motorcycle, so thype of vehicle that hit him wouldn't have made any difference. SUV's are not "huge killing machines." They're just cars, like any other; it's the driver that matters.
  • I really hope the price of gas keeps climbing up to $2- $3 dollars a gallon here in the U.S. Maybe that will dissuade people from buying gas-guzzeling SUV's.

    It won't work. Petrol (gas to those of you that choose to so describe the liquid with which you fuel your car) costs the equivalent of nearly US$6/gallon here in the UK, and the roads are still full of them.

  • Consider this: These people aren't part of the community. To truly be part of a community, you have to care about it. These people obviously don't care about anyone but themselves, so they don't apply. They are parasitic infestations and nothing more.

    I don't see how anyone can be like that, though. There are very few people I would ever wish an accident like this on - not even Bill Gates deserves to nearly lose his life to a drunken idiot (not to say I'd mind if his little empire collapses, but that's another story).

    As a LinuxPPC user, Slashdot reader, and car crash surviver, I wish Jason the best of luck.

    - Jeff A. Campbell
    - VelociNews (http://www.velocinews.com [velocinews.com])
  • Exactly. Woz recovered well, although I'm not certain he was quite as bad off. Woz may be one of the few cases where someone nearly loses their life because he was trying to figure out a coding problem.

    - Jeff A. Campbell
    - VelociNews (http://www.velocinews.com [velocinews.com])
  • It's a nice gesture, and the sentiment might make Jason (an Cassie) feel better. In this case, you can consider prayer 'rooting' for him to get better.

    Prayer seems kind of dumb to me anyhow. If there were a god, why would he/she take votes on whether or not a person should get better? Is there a limit to good deeds or something, and he/she decides by a democratic vote who survives?

    Anyhow, it's a nice gesture, whether or not it does anything.

    - Jeff A. Campbell
    - VelociNews (http://www.velocinews.com [velocinews.com])
  • ---
    but He prefers us to take an active participatory role.
    ---

    Why?

    Humans are flawed in comparison, correct? My point was: could a human sway "god's" opinion and somehow change the result? If so, is this a good thing? If this god takes these suggestions seriously, doesn't that taint his/her actions? If he/she doesn't, doesn't that make our input worthless? I'm just trying to figure out if this would be a representative democracy, or a dictatorship.

    Either way, I don't think my input would exactly be wanted. :>

    (note: This post assumes for the sake of this discussion the existance of a god.)


    - Jeff A. Campbell
    - VelociNews (http://www.velocinews.com [velocinews.com])
  • I really hope the price of gas keeps climbing up to $2- $3 dollars a gallon here in the U.S. Maybe that will dissuade people from buying gas-guzzeling SUV's.

    Sure, us piss-poor college students stuck with the only 30 year old gas-guzzling car they can afford will really appreciate that. So will the logistics industry.

    logan

  • Some others have commented on brain damage. I don't think such speculation is warranted. I'm sure his neurotransmitter levels aren't quite normal, and that may be all it takes for now. After all, he's healing and that's very stressing for the body -- because it takes a lot of brain activity to assess and repair the damage.

    Like Unix, our bodies have various processes that have various priorities. A fairly high-priority high-energy (aka high CPU) process is maintaining temperature. At times of great stress, we block out (not a matter of consciousness so much as a matter of priority) stuff. For example, if I'm so tired that I'm getting cold, carrying on a conversation with me is futile.

    Just think of Jason's processes as having been reniced. There's no indication that they won't be back to normal.

    It may be a while to recovery, but the brain is pretty amazing. Having watched someone (my husband) die of a stroke, I really got an education (later supplemented by a class in neurology) that helped me understand more.

    While it's a trying time for Cassie (you hang in there girlfriend, let me know if you need help), she seems to be holding up well. Then again, I remember from that time that one finds reserves of strength one never knew existed.

    _Deirdre
  • >Things like the Expedition, Suburban, and
    >Excursion should require CDL's

    AFAIR, the Excursion has a high enough GVWR that it *DOES* legally reqiure a class B license in Texas.

    As far as how often that gets enforced... well, I'd be real surprised if it's EVER been enforced, give the number of yuppie soccer moms I see driving these things yakkin' on their cell phones while reaching behind 'em to get their mascara out of their purses...

    -LjM
  • Drunk driving is preventable, but... there's only a finite-amount of stick-sharpening we can do as a society. Remember, for most drunk drivers, the "criminal intent" involved is simply trying to get home and making bad decisions about how to do it when their judgement is impaired already. This isn't to say it's at all acceptible, just that repeatedly trying to stiffen penalties for a crime with no fundamental underlying criminal intent is not the only way to go about preventing drunk driving. A number of other remedies can and need to be practised as well:

    Many cities, including Milwaukee, have overnight parking bans. While these serve a variety of lesser purposes (facilitating snow removal, requiring residential parking permits), they also unintentionally contribute to the drunk driving problem: any offer of a "ride home" is always encapsulated in the subtext of "what do I do with my car?" While the people in question SHOULD have planned ahead, many do not -- and oftentimes wind up gambling when their judgement is impaired already (why do casinos serve free drinks again?).

    Public transportation can also make-or-break the DUI problem. I can recall several occasions partying with friends in Chicago, where we'd ride the L back to their apartments, so drunk we could barely stand up, and late enough at night that it wasn't unusual (in a bar context) to be going home. To be effective in this battle, public transportation has to meet three criteria: (1) it has to exist -- many places have nothing. (2) it has to actually run to places where people live, and where they hang out after hours -- again, many places assume "commute only, and only within the city limits". And (3) it has to run the correct hours... again, not just "commute only", but up until after the bars close. How do taxi companies make money on the "free ride home" New Years' Eve promotions? Because the people still have to get to the bars in the first place, without taking their cars with them :) In the Milwaukee context we're describing, for example (1) a pretty efficient bus system does exist, but (2) Milwaukee and surrounding communities (Waukesha and Racine counties, for example) have separate bus systems, and (3) "after hours" bus service is all-but-nonexistent, at least in many areas.

    I'm going to also add in the drinking age issue, because I believe that MADD's efforts to raise drinking ages to 21 were counterproductive. Why? Because they moved drinking among 18-20-year-olds (In WI, again going back to the example, the drinking age used to be 18. In ID, where I grew up, it was 19.) "underground." Instead of drinking in "public", and often in the presence of older, more experienced and mature individuals, this group of people was forced into situations like rural keg parties that all-but-invite drunk driving. Assuming they won't drink just because it's illegal is tantamount to assuming college students won't pirate mp3's because... well, you get the idea. Better to get these drinkers back into the bars where the rest of us can keep an eye on them :)

    Now, in the interest of fairness, I will say that one of Wisconsin's DUI laws does need some stick-sharpening: even if you lose your driver's license in Wisconsin because of repeat DUIs, you can still apply for (and are all-but-guaranteed to get) an occupational license, which will allow you to drive to-and-from work, and in the context of your job. So you've lost your license, but you can still drive in the context "most important" for most people to drive in? If that's the case, what's the point of taking their licenses away to begin with? Talk about a license revocation with no teeth: let's see Wisconsin abandon the occupational licenses and require habitual DUI offenders to actually secure ALTERNATE transportation when their licenses are revoked!

    Disclaimer: I am no longer a Wisconsin resident. I moved to Connecticut 10 months ago.





    This is my opinion and my opinion only. Incidentally, IANAL.
  • I knew nothing about the accident, or Jason or Cassie until I read the story and Cassie's posts just this evening.

    Cassie, your posts really touched my heart. Jason is very lucky to have such a supporting, loving, and caring wife as yourself. I'm sure that your brave efforts will help his recovery tremendously.

    Let these words be a token of my support.

    Ian.

  • I agree. I would also add that removing the drinking age entirely may be desireable. I have lived some time in other countries (although I am from and currently live in Wisconsin) and haven't seen the massive social desintegration that is predicted if one lowers the drinking age. In many countries (Germany was were I was at) the drinking laws are almost non-existant, if you can reach the bar they will serve you. This leads to a much more mature attitude regarding consumption of alcaholic beverages and generally makes for more reasonable, adult-like persons, as opposed to the overgrown children I see around myself every day (caveat, I am exposed to a "higher" educational system every working day, full of students)

    It happens that my father is a police officer locally, he would like to see the driving laws tightened in this area as well (as well as the Huber work law, allowing people to go to/from work while in jail, inmates just wander off after work and when they are recaptured are put back on Huber.) Most of the DUIs he deals with are repeat (5-10+) offenders, many who don't have licenses (which of course does nothing to prevent you from actually hopping behind the wheel and taking off). It is the incorrigables, the people who just won't learn, that cause the most trouble, he figures that greater than 99% of the people he arrests are people he has arrested before.



  • For Jason, Cassie and everyone else:

    I've been through something similar to this..I know what the frustration and misery feels like..I saw it every single day of my life for the past year or so. Through it all, I came away with a deeper understanding of why these sorts of things happen, and why they happen to good people. At first, it doesn't make sense..but given time, a few things rise to the surface and become clear.

    As hard as it may be to understand right now, pain, fear and suffering are all integral parts of what it means to be alive. It reminds us that we're human. It helps define who we are, and provides us with a greater appreciation for the things we all take for granted sometimes..Happiness, good health, and the love of friends and family, among others.

    If you believe in God, that's cool. He's there for you, and everyone. If you believe in yourself, that's cool too. Its the connection we all share that matters.

    The old adage "That which does not kill you makes you stronger" is very true. Thats why it's been passed down for centuries.. :) Try to think about the strengthening process whenever you feel down. Try not to dwell on the whole miserable mess, but instead think about the many ways you'll be better soon. It'll bring you so much joy when things are back to normal..you've got that and more to look forward to.

    And you know he'd be doing the same for you, Cassie..Thats why you married the guy. :)

    Best Wishes,

    Bowie J. Poag
    Project Founder, PROPAGANDA For Linux (Moving to MetaLab/UNC!)
  • It seems like his brain's been really screwed up by the accident. He pretty much doesn't remember anything.

    I sure hope he's able to program again, but if he isn't, the people at Slashdot are pulling for him.
  • Not quite.

    My '79 Lincoln (4661 lbs dry) would tear apart a Navigator if we were to hit head-on at identical speeds.

    A lot more goes into an impact than the weight and speed of the vehicle. Cross-structure braces, etc. My car would be less damaged than said Navigator, but I'd most likely be killed - the car is only 4-some feet tall, and the Navigator would most likely use most of its bulk to crash over it.

    The location of the bumpers on an SUV and braces are significantly higher than in a car for the purposes of ground clearance. If their bumper hits my Dodge Dart in the window, for instance, it's not going to help much, even at the 5-mph rating of them.

    KE is only half of the equation :)

    Despite all this, however, I am not against SUV's in the marketplace. I think they have a very strong purpose and myself sometimes considering buying them. What scares me is all the soccer mom's driving them that don't belong behind the wheel. Things like the Expedition, Suburban, and Excursion should require CDL's.

    ls: .sig: File not found.
  • "Hey Billy, come ovah here und ztart daddy's car *hiccup*. I gots to get ta work."
  • As far as I know, a Honda Civic is a model of car.

    If he was on a motorcycle, I doubt he would have fared as well as he did.

    -Vel
  • Drunk drivers cause accidents. Yet nobody seems to do much about it. Why? I honestly do not know.

    A drunk driver in an SUV caused an accident which almost killed a fine human being. Each day, many drunk drivers in many types of vehicles cause accidents which do kill fine human beings, or damage them for life. Piers Anythony wrote about a young girl named Jenny who can't do anything, aside from breathe and focus her attention on something, thanks to a drunk driver who hit her and damaged her spinal column. Her life will never be as full as it might have been, thanks to a hit and run.

    The US has a minimum drinking age of 21 in most States. In Canada, it's generally 18 or 19. A lot of people in both countries die because of drunk drivers. So does a minimum drinking age help? Not much, because people still die. If you are going to drink, you have to drink responsibly. Cab drivers may drive poorly, but they are generally sober.

    Even driving a car is a great responsibility. So do they retest people every year or two to see if their driving skills have "gone off," and need to be corrected? Heck no. Every day at every corner, I can watch cars that start their turns too early, and don't turn sharply enough (thus crossing several lanes instead of turning into one). Or people who need those extra few seconds (seconds which are averaged by every single red light you stop at) to get to work, and so swerve around a person turning left (or just stopped) -- generally right into the car or thing they were stopped for. I've been hit this way (turning left, person runs yellow. THUD). Hit and run drivers are the worst, because they can't even take the time to help the victims of their actions.

    Sigh. Until your car has enough technology to gauge driver maturity and sobriety, it will basically be a large object used to assist the ability of people with poor judgement to commit random murders.


    ---

  • Look, everybody is going to die. That's about all you can be sure of. But you go read what Cassie writes and you'll have to realize, she loves him. And sooner or later he'll get his wits back, and then he'll come to know that.

    People talk about love all the time like it's a common ordinary thing. Why I don't know, maybe it's a hangover from imbibing all that romance fiction as we modern people do, but look at the real world around you, it certainly is not. To be loved like that even for a moment is so valuable a thing, it's what one lives for, yet it seems to be so impossibly rare in our Sisyphean lives (as opposed to in fiction) that it practically never happens.

    So you might say, "Poor guy," and "What bad luck fell on him" but near as I can tell Jason Haas had already hit the jackpot.

    Yours WDK - WKiernan@concentric.net

  • I hope that Jason recovers from this accident. It is a great shame that these things happen.

    A cousin of mine was killed by a Drunk Driver in 1981 which prompted my aunt to start a local chapter of MADD. This was just a couple of years after MADD was created and there was very little that could leagally be done to the guy (in Tennessee at least). I think that he spent a couple of weeks in jail and that was it (I was only 11, so I do not remember a lot about the whole thing).

    It is a shame that even today, the penalty for drunk driving is relatively light considering the magnitude of the crime. If someone took a gun out in the street and started firing randomly and killed someone.. that person would go to jail for a long time. Drunk drivers who injure or kill people should be treated in the same manner as people who commit murder. It is negligence, pure and simple. These people make a conscious decision to drink until they are intoxicated and get behind the wheel.

    I was hit by a 24 yr old drunk driver a few months ago, it was early in the evening and this guy was driving about 85 in rush hour traffic on the interstate (in a Geo Tracker) when he hit me. Fortunately I nor any of the other drivers on the road were injured by his negligence.
  • > As for those out there that have ever driven
    > drunk... Fuck You! You may think you're in
    > control enough to drive, but that sort of
    > arrogance just shows how out of control you
    > are.

    Its sort of a tangent but...

    This attitude is very justified. People shouldn't
    drive drunk, everyone says that, however, its not
    so simple of a problem as can be solved by just
    saying "don't drive drunk"....what is drunk?

    This is something I thought about the very first
    (and very few) times that I got drunk. I was 16,
    and sitting on a friends couch. We were both
    drunk off our asses. As I sat their on the couch,
    I kept trying to asses "how impaired am I?".
    I felt fine. I kept thinking "im not impaired at
    all, I can't even feel it". In truth (truth that
    I found out as soon as I got up off the couch) is
    that I was plastered to the point that bipedal
    locomotion was quite a feat!

    This is the real problem I see...the impairment
    caused by alcohol masks itself. With other drugs
    (like cannabis for instance) I can tell about how
    fucked up I am and about how impaired I am.
    With alcohol, I can't.

    Certainly not everyone who drinks is too impaired
    to drive. It has alot to do with the individual,
    the amount they drank, the time frame of the
    drinking, whether they ate food that slowed the
    absorbtion etc etc. Compound that with the fact
    that it is hard fro an impaired person to tell
    how impaired they are.

    I am not sure I know the answer to this problem.
    Perhaps a simple test of reflexes or some such
    that one needs to pass before they can operate
    their car? (such a thing could also catch overly
    tired drivers also)?

  • Finally, this servers as an example what drunk driving can lead to. Just don't do it. Get on a bike or bus instead ...

    I agree about the bus, but DONT BIKE! Believe me, having watched dozens of students on their way home after a particularly good party wondering which side of the road to cycle on, biking is not a really sensible option. Okay - so you don't pose quite the same danger as a drunk driver in an SUV, but the end results could easily result in death or injury for you, the driver of the vehicle which hits you or swerves to avoid you, or a bystander. If you have a bike, use it as a mobile crutch - a walking stick with wheels. Oh - and in the UK you can be breathalized while cycling, be fined and have points on your driving license for cycling while drunk. Probably applies elsewhere too - you are in charge of a vehicle on a public highway when cycling.

    Cheers,

    Toby Haynes

  • How drunk is too drunk for driving?

    Well the Polish authorites answer that question with a surprising clarity. Any alcohol detectable in your blood (above the natural traces) bans you from driving. Thus having drunk half a pint you are not allowed to drive! And a drunk driving is regarded as a criminal offence rather than a driving offence.
    You think it doesn't make sense? Well it makes a lot of sense actually, because different people have different levels of alcohol tolerance. As you said, some will be relatively sober after quite a few rounds but there is a minority who will be out of their minds after three. So the only safe threshold that works across the whole society is ZERO! Trying to define "drunk" in the highway code just gives those morons a legal gateway to escape prosecution when they run over somebody. In this particular case I'd argue that that's the best law a country can have.

  • Take a few seconds to make a difference. (Score:3)

    by MTDilbert ( 7660 ) on Friday March 24, 2000 @06:51AM (#1176815) Homepage

    First of all, I want to encourage all of you who know, might know, have heard of, would like to know...of Jason to take a quick minute or two and send him your best wishes. It will mean more to him and his loved ones than you will ever know.

    How do I know this? Less than a month ago, my 28 year-old brother was killed in a one-car accident. His work brought him in contact with people all across the U.S. There was not enough room in the church for all the people. I can't tell you how comforting it was for us to know what a difference he had made in so many people's lives.

    Take a minute to send a note. It doesn't cost anything, and your Karma points will soar!

  • Re:He's brain-damaged (Score:3)

    by King Babar ( 19862 ) on Friday March 24, 2000 @06:04AM (#1176816) Homepage
    It seems like his brain's been really screwed up by the accident. He pretty much doesn't remember anything.

    And who says that geeks suffer from a total lack of social skills. :-(

    OK. I am not a neurologist. I have, however, seen brain-injured people in my travels, and the one thing that's clear from those experiences is that you can see a wide variation in the rate and amount of recovery of function.

    The fact that Jason Haas has already shown some improvement is encouraging, but it will take a while before anybody really knows what to expect in the long term.

    The "word salad" character of his utterances is interesting because this kind of symptom sometimes does resolve fairly well. In particular, stroke patients who have lesions to parts of the temporal lobe can be really out there for some time, but within six months, most of them will have improved quite a bit, and will generally suffer primarily from, um, gosh; what's the word for it? Oh yeah: anomia (word-finding problems).

    Head trauma isn't exactly the same thing, however.

    It also looks like he's suffering from a pretty dense retrograde amnesia. As is often the case, this is temporally graded: it's much worse for relatively recent events (e.g., his marriage 4 months ago) than for relatively distant events (e.g., he seems to have a better idea about his long-time family members). It was unclear to me from these reports whether he had any anterograde amnesia (crudely, can't form new memories). Again, amnestic syndromes can improve with time, although there is a good chance that his memory for experiences immediately (or not so immediately) before the accident may never be quite the same.

  • Wrong! (Score:3)

    by WhiskeyJack ( 126722 ) on Friday March 24, 2000 @06:59AM (#1176817)

    You're right in one regard: Shit does happen and good people get hurt. But you are gravely wrong elsewhere.

    Everyone is something special. Every single person that dies needlessly makes each of us that much poorer. Every single person has inherent worth, if not for what they are now, for what they might become. Maybe one day you'll understand; I just hope you don't have to go through something similar to what Jason is before you start to get it.

    Your inability to show compassion for a stranger who has been hurt speaks poorly for you. Try looking beyond your immediate surroundings at the bigger picture, hey? There's more to the world than your immediate circle of friends.

    Would you start caring if this Jason fellow had just figured out how to cure your mother's cancer just before the drunk driver scrambled his mind? In order for you to care, his continued health has to have a direct beneift to you personally? That's just the thing -- it does benefit you, only you're too blind to see it. His health benefits you, if for no other reason than his existence increases the number of minds out there working on the problems that affect you daily.

    Even the bag lady on the street corner just down the road from your place benefits you. How? She inspires people who care to seek solutions to the problems that put her on that corner....problems that might have a bearing on your life as well.

    -- WhiskeyJack, who sees no greater tragedy than wasted potential.

  • Jason (Score:4)

    by sterwill ( 972 ) on Friday March 24, 2000 @06:56AM (#1176818) Homepage
    I'm not sure what else I can add to the conversation, except for the little bit of Jason I knew.

    I met Jason Haas and Jeff Carr at LinuxWorld Expo in 1999, in San Jose. They were there to represent LinuxPPC, I was there for AbiSource. Our booths were about 30 feet apart. On setup day, they were nowhere to be found, and I wondered if their flight had been delayed. By the first day of the show, however, they had everything setup and a good crowd in their booth.

    Through Jason and Jeff, LinuxPPC was even willing to lend AbiSource an iMac (running LinuxPPC, of course) to demonstrate AbiWord in our booth. Our little green iMac drew lots of attention those two and a half days. Later LinuxPPC donated a dedicated build host to AbiSource for automated builds and releases.

    During a lull in the crowds (or near lunch, I don't remember), I wandered over to the LinuxPPC booth just to see what they were doing. It was there I spotted some of the portable Apple hardware running LinuxPPC, and was pretty impressed. I remember talking to Jeff and Jason about the video display, the PowerPC processor, the trackpad, external USB, and the battery life as they patiently fielded questions from other booth visitors--I didn't own a laptop, and at this tradeshow, one in two people had one. I wanted one, and these guys seemed to have an excellent plan.

    So it turns out the PowerBook I'm using to type this comment came to me in large part because of Jason. It's an odd connection between the keys my fingers now touch, the smashed up cars in a junk yard in Wisconsin, and Jason, who probably doesn't yet remember LinuxWorld, August, 1999.

    --
  • I am glad this was posted. I was always under the impression that Slashdot was a community that may bicker and argue, but was still a community with a common good. After reading a bunch of the "why should I care" and "so what" comments along with the other negative crap, I am starting to doubt that. You all know if your beloved Linus had a misfortune like this, everyone would be acting a bit different. This is a person, and if you can't say something supportive, do your self and everyone else a favor and neglect posting.

    I don't know Jason, but I have always respected his hard work. I wish him and his family a speedy recovery and good fortune.

  • Best wishes (Score:5)

    by jabber ( 13196 ) on Friday March 24, 2000 @05:41AM (#1176820) Homepage
    My girlfriend's sister went through a similar accident several years ago. Similar situation, drunk driver in a pick-up ran a light and hit her broadside. A few months before her high-school graduation, her life nearly ended.

    She survived, and in time she got better. There is a scar on her thigh that she keeps as a reminder, and there are slight traces of the head trauma she suffered - a little slur when she speaks too quickly.

    She graduated HS on schedule, thanks to aggressive rehab and the help and support of friends, family and classmates. She went on to college and finished on schedule, with a dual BS in Education and Spanish.

    Things may hurt a lot now, and there is a lot of fear now. But, it WILL get better.

    Jason, I have never seen your work and I do not know the person you are. But I know that you make a difference. Not only to your immediate circle and loving wife, but to a community spread the world over. I hope that the people whose lives you've touched let you know this, over and again.

    As for those out there that have ever driven drunk... Fuck You! You may think you're in control enough to drive, but that sort of arrogance just shows how out of control you are. Think twice, then think again. The cost of a cab or a phone-call to a friend (or a cop; it's not a crime to be drunk, only to drive drunk; they will help you get home) is much less than that of a life (yours or that of someone else).

  • The fragility of human life/intellect (Score:5)

    by RNG ( 35225 ) on Friday March 24, 2000 @06:05AM (#1176821)
    Though I don't know Jason (actually I've never heard of him before (I've never dabbled with Linux PPC)), I wish him well and hope he recovers fully.

    What strikes me about the articles are 3 things:

    1) Cassie seems to holding up very well under the circumstances. Congratulations on handling what must be a very difficult situation remarkably well. I was amazed that Cassie still has the power to have some humor as she descibes her/Jason's situation.

    2) Things like this should remind all of us how fragile our existance is. One second you're busy building cool software (or whatever else it is you're doing), caring for your familily, enjoying the good things in life, and the next you're in the hospital, your body and mind rearranged in very unpleasant ways. I think it's good to step back from time to time and realize how empty life would be without the people you care about (and how care about/for you). I'm as much as a computer geek as the next guy (maybe even more so), but it's things like this which from time to time makes me step back and look at my life, trying to figure out what's essential and what's not. Most the time it seems my software/technical side is essential and define who/what I am, but events like this one have a remarkable ability to make me doubt that. I guess what I'm trying to say is that no matter how fascinated with technology you are, don't loose sight of the fact that it's just one part of your existance. In the end, life is about (sharing it) with (other) people (and even animals).

    3) I can't help but feel a dark fascination with the fact that such an accident can leave you seemingly lucid (ie: intact speech and vocabulary) but yet somehow detachted from reality. I think this in one way or another says something (interesting) about our cognitive processes.

    Finally, this servers as an example what drunk driving can lead to. Just don't do it. Get on a bike or bus instead ...

    Good luck, Jason; get well ...

  • Drunk Driving is preventable (Score:5)

    by joemaller ( 37695 ) on Friday March 24, 2000 @05:46AM (#1176822) Homepage

    Drunk driving is preventable. Jason's accident could have been avoided.

    Mother's Against Drunk Driving [madd.org] (MADD) accepts tax-deductable web-donations starting at $10. While I don't completely agree with everything they do, I support their primary mission of education and responsibility. I made my donation in honor of Jason Haas, LinuxPPC and Slashdot.org. There didn't seem to be a way of just tagging the donation with a name, so I sent an acknowledgement to:

    LinuxPPC Inc.

    P.O. Box 491
    Hales Corners, WI 53130
    USA
    (The MADD form requires something in all fields, so put something in the last name)

    MADD's donation page: http://www.madd.org/donations/ [madd.org]

    1998 Factoids: (from MADD's site)

    • 15,935 people were killed in alcohol-related traffic crashes---an average of one every 33 minutes. These deaths constituted approximately 38.4% of the total 41,471 total traffic fatalities. (NHTSA, 1999)
    • About 1,058,990 were injured in alcohol-related crashes-an average of one person injured approximately every 30 seconds. About 30,000 people a year will suffer permanent work-related disabilities. (Miller et al, 1996b)
    • Every weekday night from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m., one in 13 drivers is drunk (BAC of .08 or more). Between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. on weekend mornings, one in seven drivers is drunk. (Miller et al., 1996c)
    • About three in every ten Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash at some time in their lives. (NHTSA, 1999)

  • To Cassie: You are a very couragous women (Score:5)

    by javatips ( 66293 ) on Friday March 24, 2000 @04:42AM (#1176823) Homepage
    I want to dedicate this small piece to his wife Cassie.

    I did not know Jason very well, I saw his name a couple of time, but that's all.

    What touch me in this story, is you (Cassie)... You seem to be a very strong person. It must be a really difficult time that you are going through. In one of youre e-mail you said that you need support. I'm sure that the community will do it's best to support you.

    I know that it will be difficult for many month to come. I hope that the rehab will go well and that Jason will recover quickly.

    When youre mood will be really down, don't forget that you have familly, friends and an entire community that is willing to help you.

    Things will never be the same for you, I just hope that however different things are now, that they will increase in joy and happiness. You deserve this!

  • Jason Haas' Recovery (Score:5)

    by cassie_haas ( 167147 ) on Friday March 24, 2000 @09:39AM (#1176824)
    Hi. This is Jason's wife. Jeff Carr told me that Jason had been slashdotted (a fact that would have him bursting with pride, if he understood what it meant right now) and I've been reading everybody's comments. I just wanted to thank *everyone* who has posted their good wishes for Jason's speedy recovery. And for everyone who has complimented me on my fortitude and humor, thanks also. ;-) The fact is, I'm stubborn and prideful and I'd rather laugh than cry. For the person who made a donation to MADD in Jason's name, thank you for putting your principles in motion. I've considered sending them photos of the Civic for a promotional campaign, if they'd want to use them. I'll pass everyone's good wishes on to Jason. I fully expect him to recover, but it will take a long time and a lot of patience from the both of us. But I *did* promise him "in sickness and in health" and I meant it. -- cassie

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