My Name is Barry Marcone, This a story about Father"s worst nightmare.
On April 12, 2007 My Son's mother called me and told me that my son Chris 24, at the time was involved in a car wreck, a few blocks from his home. After going to the accident and seeing the car crash I was in total shock. The accident was in a older sub-division with very close homes and narrow streets. This happened in Brooksville Fl. He had a party with a couple of friends on a Thursday evening at his home. I talked to Chris at 4:00 pm and he was fine, at around 8:00 pm the accident took place. After 3 hour of drinking he made a phone call to a very close friend two streets over from his house and decided to show off his new pick up Truck. No one tried to stop Chris from leaving his home. He picked up his friend and went for a ride. I asked his friend why he let Chris drive drunk. She told me that she had not seen Chris for a while and just wanted to be with him. For some reason and know one seems to know why, he was driving crazy They were running 60 miles per hour in a 30 mile zone. He ran a stop sign and smashed in a min-van. 4 people were hurt. The next morning a 13 year girl passed away from her injuries Chris was driving drunk 2.07.
Chris was not arrested until June 29th 2007. He was still able to drive like nothing ever happened. The law never took his licensee after the accident. When he was arrested he was charged with dui manslaughter and was facing up to 20 years in prison. There were other charges, but they were dropped in court. And then took his licensee.
For nine months we went through pure hell. After the accident Chris moved in with me. We got him in A A found him a job and hopefully he was on the road to recovery. All he talked about was the accident and that a little girl lost her life. He was and still is struggling with the car crash he went from a very happy person to not being able to sleep. I was scared for him. After a few weeks he decided to move back to his home were he was getting worse, he stayed awake for days on end, afraid to sleep for all he had was nightmares. We got him help and the pills they put him on seem to make him even worse. He would not talk to any one, not even his lawyer. He would not go out of the house. I had to take care of every thing from the legal side. I was going crazy but had to stay strong for Chris.
On March 7th 2008 the day finally came were Chris was going to here his fate from the Judge.
Chris was never in trouble with the law and never been arrested before this accident. He had a couple of speeding tickets and a seat belt citation. For two hours the families told there story. The little girl's family told what great little girl she was, and the put a picture of the girl and a lock of hair from the hospital on the judge's desk. They called Chris a killer and a murder and asked the Judge to send my son to life in prison. Our family finally was able to speak, we told the court how sorry Chris was and what he was going through. Chris read a letter he wrote to the family just a few days after the accident but the lawyer advised Chris not to send the letter because it ammiting guilt but he was able to read the letter in court.. Chris apologized to the family and to the court. The Judge sentenced Chris to one year in prison for every year that the little girl was on this earth, 13 years for a first time offender. We were all shocked no one in the court room moved, just plenty of tears while they hand cuffed Chris and took him away. We could not touch or say good bye to him just a nod to each other.
I am very sorry for both sides and I know his friends are also sorry, as none of his friends showed up in court to support Chris. It shows they were nothing but drinking buddies.
As I done endless hours of research I haven't seen a case were a first time offender got this amount of time I feel the court tried to make an example of our son.
After 6 weeks Chris's mom and my self were finally able to visit. It took me over one hour to check into the first time, you will be body searched , you will be accruable for every thing you have on you from when you check in. When visiting hours are over you will go through same process again. You’re only allowed $50:00 dollars so you can buy them lunch at the canteen, he can not touch any money. You are only allowed your car key no remote and just your little yellow card they issue you, I now have my own prison number as a visitor. You can only shake hands or hug when coming or leaving your visit, you can only talk to the person that is on your visitation list, no other inmate. In order to visit the prison system they will do a back ground check on you. It very hard to see your son in inmate clothes when you able to walk out side and you are surrounded by razor wire and guards and here your child say, Dad I am so sorry, and all I want to do is come home, it breaks you down. You will cry when leaving. The pain and hurt takes days to go away. Only he knows what the real pain is. To be honest I could not do the time.
Also to let every one know neither Chris’s Mother or my self drink, he was not around alcohol while growing up. So what started him drinking? Was it from peer pressure? Was it from people he hung with? Or something he wanted to do. Something we will never know.
Please remember this story and think about is it worth to get behind wheel inpaired. you decide. Just DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE.it will save a life maybe yours.
Contact: Driving Sober to Save a Life
PO Box 12473
Brooksville Fl.34673
Phone:352-279-4365
Email:
