Who Is At Fault Here???
By LadyMarissa
@LadyMarissa (12148)
United States
December 27, 2011 11:38am CST
http://www.thesunnews.com/2011/12/27/2569551/sc-woman-sues-bar-for-not-checking.html
I heard this on the news this morning & wanted to read more about it. Then I got to thinking...
Let me start by saying my heart goes out to this young lady for her injuries!!! Having said that, I fully believe that it was her own irresponsibility that created the situation she is in!!! Yes, the bartender obviously didn't do his/her job in checking the girl's ID & served her illegally. My question is...did the girl not know she was only 20 years old & too young to drink legally??? If like most people her age, she either had a fake ID or she was praying the bartender wouldn't check the ID she had. Since we're laying blame here. I'm of the opinion that the bartender couldn't have served her had she not knowingly illegally entered the bar!!! I've never been to the area where she lives, but I have had some experience driving on SC roads. They don't have the best roads in the country, but I've never found them to be negligent in the safety factor. Had she not been out trying to get illegally drunk, my guess is that she wouldn't have run off the edge of the road to the point where she hit where the state hadn't paved. If she was putting as much effort into rebuilding her life as she is into laying blame, she could possibly be having a good life!!! NO, it wouldn't be an easy life, but it could be a good life!!! I don't think suing everybody that ever looked at you as the way to solve a self-created situation!!! I'm waiting to hear that she's adding her parents to the mix because she didn't ask to be born & they shouldn't have provided her with a car so she could even go out & get drunk!!! After going to the link & reading her story, what are your thoughts???
4 people like this
6 responses
@owlwings (43910)
• Cambridge, England
27 Dec 11
This story simply goes to show how stupid and self-righteous some people can get that they try to blame everyone except themselves. She has broken the law at least twice! Maybe she should sue the State and Federal lawmakers for making it possible for her to get into this situation.
I really hope that her case gets thrown out of court and she has to pay the FULL costs for wasting everyone's time and being in contempt of the law. No doubt, if she were to serve a jail term, she would sue the authorities for not providing full disabled access in the penitentiary!
2 people like this
@LadyMarissa (12148)
• United States
28 Dec 11
I totally agree!!! She has my sympathy as to the situation she is in, but that is as far as it goes. She, herself, created the situation & now she needs to deal with it!!! I thought there was a law against filing frivolous lawsuits & that's what I consider her suit to be!!!
1 person likes this
@JenInTN (27514)
• United States
28 Dec 11
I think that everyone should take responsibility for their actions. Sure the bartender should have checked the ID but at the same time the girl made a personal choice to do something she full well knew was illegal. At that age, you know the difference between right and wrong and everytime there is a step taken in the wrong direction..there are penalties to be paid. If it's not legal..it's karma..lol. I think it's a shame that she was injured but it was also a shame she chose the path she did. Life is tough and sometimes a bit unforgiving. I'm just glad that no one else was hurt because of her choice.
1 person likes this
@LadyMarissa (12148)
• United States
29 Dec 11
I totally agree that each of us should be responsible for ourselves!!! Too many people are way too quick to say...it's not my job man **** or **** I wouldn't have a problem if you had just... I'm having serious doubts as to the bartender not checking her ID. Being underage, I'm sure she had a way around it . At 20, I had had a fake ID for several years & I always looked mature for my age. From what I hear, it is much easier to obtain a fake ID now days!!! In my mind, it is plain & simple...she made a bad decision & life is reacting to that bad decision. She rolled the dice & lost!!! She needs to face the fact that she made a conscience decision to do something illegal & she chose to drive afterward. If she hadn't made BOTH those choices, she wouldn't be where she is today!!! She can ONLY be a victim if she chooses to be the victim & by accepting that she's the victim, she's making everything WORSE!!!
@blue65packer (11826)
• United States
27 Dec 11
That woman is to blame for everything here!. She was only 20 at the time and was in a bar drinking when she should of not been in the first place! She must of known that she was under age to drink! She can;t be that stupid! Maybe that is her excuse why she is suing everyone! She doesn't want to blame herself for getting drunk, tehn driving drunk and getting into an accident! Now she is in a wheel chair because she is paralyzed! She probaly needs the money to be taken care of! That is my guess! With bartenders serving under age people,that ia so common in some area's! Some don't care and this is why some underage people are served at bars! If a bartender would take the time to do their job right less people would be trying to drink before they are 21! That is how I look at it!
1 person likes this
@LadyMarissa (12148)
• United States
27 Dec 11
I in no way think the bartender made the right decision!!! Still, I feel the bartender couldn't have made a wrong decision if the girl hadn't misrepresented herself & asked for a drink she knew she wasn't old enough to order!!! I don't think the bartender nor the bar should be held liable for her irresponsible behavior. If she was only suing the bar for her injuries, I might feel a bit different. However, she's included the state for improper care of the road. She drank until she was so freaking impaired that she ran completely off the road!!! How is the state supposed to know in advance how impaired she would become??? The reality is that she got in the car & left home with the intention of getting drunk & having a good time. She got drunk & was having such a good time that she wasn't paying attention to what she was doing & she wrecked her car doing irreparable damage. Had it been a drunk driver that hit her, everybody would be up in arms how that driver should never been allowed to drive & should have their license taken away from them. She should lose her license & she should volunteer her time to visit high schools showing the students the reality of what happens when you get drunk & get stupid!!! I can't say that at her age I would have acted any more responsibly; however, I do know I wouldn't be suing others for my own stupidity!!! Plus, how do we know that bartender didn't ask to see her ID & she didn't present a fake one??? I'm truly sorry that her actions created such a horrible effect on her life, but she had control over her own actions!!! Instead of blaming others, she should be working at reclaiming her own life!!!
@purplealabaster (22091)
• United States
28 Dec 11
She is the one that is responsible for the situation, and I do not think that anyone else can be faulted here. She says that the bartender did not check her ID, and perhaps that is true. If it is true, then the bartender could be charged for serving a minor, but that is it, in my opinion. He or she had no way of knowing whether or not she would get behind the wheel of a car after drinking much less crash the car ... she could have been carpooling with a designated driver, live within walking distance of the bar, called for a ride, etc. Plus, we do not actually know that the bartender served her. I have seen underage people go into a bar and sit off in a corner while their friends, who are of legal drinking age, get them their drinks. Depending upon how crowded the bar was and whether or not there was an outside part where the bartender could not see it is entirely possible that the bartender did not even see her the entire night.
1 person likes this
@Robswife2006 (1208)
• United States
27 Dec 11
True I think they need to work on their roads a bit so as to make them more safe for drivers, but other then that I have to agree with you. Yes the bartender should have been paying closer attention & not served her drinks, but he didn't force her to drink any of those drinks. She knew what she was doing. Maybe she wasn't old enough to drink, but she was old enough to know right from wrong. How many times have we seen those commercials that air the slogan, "Don't drink & drink?" A million times maybe? Yet that's exactly what she did. I do feel sorry for what happened to her, but unfortunately it's no one's fault but her own.
1 person likes this
@LadyMarissa (12148)
• United States
27 Dec 11
I feel extreme sorrow for her; however, I still feel she created her own mess!!! I live in a really small town in Georgia. When I need to do any serious shopping I drive about 80 miles into SC to one of the larger cities there. The roads I travel are plenty wide. They have markings on the shoulder so if you drift over, you are being warned to pull back in as you're about to run off the road. If she had been hit by a drunk driver, everybody would be screaming for their head. Well...she was the drunk driver who hit herself & I feel she should be held just as responsible as the drunk driver that might have hit her.
@PointlessQuestions (15397)
• United States
27 Dec 11
What can I say here? While I feel bad for her situation, there are sometimes consequences for illegal actions. Sorry she is now a paraplegic...but it's her own fault. No one forced her to drink and drive. If she used a fake ID it's not the bartender's fault. We can't be responsible when kids find ways to circumvent the legal system. This is her fault and her responsibility.
1 person likes this
@LadyMarissa (12148)
• United States
27 Dec 11
She has my TOTAL sympathy as to her situation!!! I also TOTALLY feel that she, herself, created that situation!!! The bartender didn't call her & say come on down for free drinks. She left home with the sole intention of going to a bar & getting drunk. She accomplished BOTH!!! She won't have to regain full use of her body to become a productive member of society once again. Handicapable people have all types of wonderful aids to assist them at becoming self-sufficient once again......sitting around feeling sorry for herself is the absolute worst thing she can do!!!
