A Life is Worth Only $62.50. Maybe.
by Paul McGoldrick
The family of Fikret and Gulbahar Attila and daughters Seda, 4, and Eda, 2, was cruelly destroyed this last August in a traffic incident on a freeway bypassing Seattle, WA. It was dry and still daylight at 6:20 PM when the family's Honda stalled and pulled up to a complete stop with its emergency flashers on. A Ford Explorer driven by Sarah Potts, wife of a police officer, plowed into the Honda traveling at least 65 mph (some witnesses said 75 mph.)
The Honda was pushed across two lanes of traffic and the gas tank exploded. Rescuers got Fikret Attila out but could not release his wife and daughters, who died at the scene. Fikret died 17 days later in hospital.
Despite denials by both Potts and her attorney the Washington State Patrol established from telephone records that Potts was talking on her cellular telephone at the time of the crash. After its investigation of the incident the expectation by the State Patrol was that Potts would be charged with four counts of vehicular homicide, but prosecutors for the county determined that such felony charges were impossible to substantiate: She had not been drinking, she had not exhibited any signs of loss of vehicle control - like swerving - and had no "intention" of causing injury.
The use of cell phones while driving has been likened by some to be worse than having several drinks in terms of loss in concentration. Sure, there are other distractions while driving, like tuning a radio, conversing with others in the vehicle, putting on make-up, reading a newspaper - I'm sure we've all seen them - but there is something very insidious about the person who is on a phone and, unless you have a vested interest, it is quite obvious to anybody with commonsense that it is a major distraction to driving. Although, I believe, only New York has passed legislation banning the handheld use of cell phones in the U.S., it is becoming the norm in parts of the world like Europe.
I am continually stunned that phone vendors would not be delighted to push hands-free kits for vehicles, but they don't; rather they push the argument that everything is safe and that it is perfectly normal to drive with only one hand on the wheel - although I'm sure most of us have seen cell phone drivers with no hands on the wheel!
Subaru held an event at Portland International Raceway (Oregon) earlier this month (November, 2002) to show off its vehicles to owners and potential owners. One of the fun sessions it set up at the free event was a slalom course with bends, corners and gates; drivers were allowed to drive around the course at their own speed but had to pick up a cell phone when it rang. The reports were that every driver lost control and ended up taking large orange cones for a ride as well; most of the control losses were over-corrected by the drivers, which could have fatal results in slick conditions or with a vehicle with a high center-of-gravity. Such a simple demonstration, such a simple lesson.
Judging by the Letters to the Editor in the Pacific Northwest newspapers, there are a lot of people who assume that Sarah Potts' marital status was not insignificant in the decision not to prosecute: That and her status as an "Eastside soccer mom with a clean record." One hopes there is nothing to that, there is already enough division between peace officers and the general population they are sworn to serve.
But what will be the final disposition of Sarah Potts? The county prosecutors
involved are handing the file back to the Washington State Patrol who may
prosecute her in district court for negligent driving - carrying a maximum
penalty of $250. I hope that the Attila family has relatives who are willing
to take this matter through the civil courts; not just to get money but
to keep this woman reminded for as long as possible that she was responsible
for four deaths that never should have happened…that's why you have
not seen the word "accident" used here.