Canadian Kills Dominican in Drinking and Driving Accident

Fiesta Mama

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Jan 28, 2004
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Despite my devestating saddness, I could not help but write this thread.

Further to my thread of Saturday night, I now have more information about the accident that killed my husband's aunt.

On Saturday night, Josefina and her daughter Eliani were returning from church and were waiting on the side of the road in Gran Para for a publico or guagua back to Montellano. A drunk Canadian in a small truck or SUV struck them both when he missed the curve, plowing them both down. Josefina (33 years old), who pushed Eliani out of the way, was killed instantly. Eliani has various injuries, including a broken leg, but she survived... with a broken heart. Eliani has two brothers, her twin and the other is 1 1/2 years younger. These children are now motherless and their father, a local pastor, is now a widow.

This was a picture perfect Dominican family. They are very religious and Josefina and her husband attended church almost daily. The ironic thing is that they don't drink due to their religious beliefs and alcohol is the reason Josfina was killed. She was my best friend and like a sister to me. She planned and organized the wedding of my husband and I and has always been there for both of us. She also helped raise my husband as his mother has lived in Spain for most of his life. This family has hearts of gold. Despite the fact that this family does not have a lot, I remember many a time while living there and while staying with them on vacation when Josefina would make a plate of food for someone passing by that was even less fornate than them. This woman taught me to cook Dominican food for my husband here in Canada and she, along with my husband and the rest of their family, taught me how to speak Spanish, the value of family, love and the fact that you don't need a ton of money to be the happiest people in the world.

You hear on this board all the stories about Dominicans drinking, driving, etc. but this time it was a Canadian who apparently lives in or around Puerto Plata or Sosua and has a business and he has killed this precious woman. I hope he can't pay his way out of this. This family is devestated.

My husband and I spent hours at the airport Sunday and were unable to get a flight as at this time of year there are few flights and they were all booked solid. Our only option on Sunday was for him to fly to Punta Cana and take a taxi from there. We waited standby but unfortunately for him, everyone showed up for the flights that were already sold out.

Until this weekend, I never realized how important a visitor's visa to the U.S. is for Dominicans living in Canada. If only we had done the paperwork earlier for him to have this invaluable document and he would have been able to get to Puerto Plata within hours of the accident via Miami or New York. But we never imagined such a tragedy and since we travel often to the DR with a wide variety of charter flights, I never knew this would ever be a problem. The next available flight with space is not until this Friday and he will be heading down to be with the rest of his family but he has already missed the funeral.

My husband said this afternoon that the most ironic thing is that drinking and driving laws are so strict here in Canada and yet it was a Canadian that killed Josefina. I hope people read this and realize that just because the drinking laws are relaxed in the DR and you can essentially drink and drive legally, there are devestating consequences and I hope all reading this remember that next time they drink in the DR and want to get behind the wheel of a vehicle. My trips to the DR will never be the same. We actually had already purchased tickets to spend Chirstmas and New Years in Montellano this year and for that reason we did not have the money for both my husband and I to both go on Friday. I am counting the days until December when I can hug each one of Josefina's children and help them get through this.

Josefina.... forever in my heart.
 

canadian bob

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Jan 16, 2002
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What a tragic business! My heart goes out to all the family and I pray that your cousin recovers quickly from her injuries. Canadian Bob.
 

mountainfrog

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Dec 8, 2003
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RD = Ruthless Driving

Again I'd like to express my sorrow and deep sympathy to your family.



This country seems to attract irresponsible people from all over the word, antisocial characters in the true sense of the word.
Getting away even with murder ...
by paying.
Adapting to the bush and jungle life in 'paradise'.

m'frog
 

MommC

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Mar 2, 2002
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The fact that the driver was Canadian is really irrelevant......
The fact that the driver was drunk is what makes this tragedy doubly so as it needn't have happened.
I've had Dominican friends who have left Juan Dolio to travel back to Santo Domingo who had to be helped to their vehicles because they coudn't walk by themselves (no they didn't get that way at my house!!).
I've had American friends who have left JD in the same state to travel a few kilometers up the road.
Because JD is a beach town and weekends are beach days, neither my husband or I travel the streets or highways on Sat. or Sun.
Those who drink and drive should be tarred, feathered, shot, hung up to dry out etc. etc. however as long as egotistical fools exist, drinking and driving will remain a problem not only in the DR but also in countries like Canada that have very strict laws on drinking and driving.
We've stopped to assist at the scene of more than one accident caused by drinking and driving (and it usually ISN'T the drunk that is seriously injured or killed).
My heart goes out to the family who now must try to make sense of this senseless death!
Maybe we should all convert to Muslims who aren't allowed to drink alcohol at all!!
 

mountainfrog

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Dec 8, 2003
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Caught at the Scene of Accident

...We've stopped to assist at the scene of more than one accident caused by drinking and driving (and it usually ISN'T the drunk that is seriously injured or killed).

Although this qualifies you as a civilized member of society
you should think twice whether those acts of samaritanism
are appropriate in Sodom and Gomorrah.

m'frog
 

marliejaneca

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Oct 7, 2003
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Kim,
So sorry to hear about your loss. Let me know if you need anything for the children when you go to the DR in December - I will be happy to gather whatever and mail it to you before you go.
Take care, my friend,
Marlie
 

AZB

Platinum
Jan 2, 2002
12,290
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dominican kills a foreigner = 130 plus posts.
Foreigner kills a poor dominican = 8 posts.

People call me racists, classist, snob blah blah blah for not defending the poor and needy. Here is a church going decent dominican lady from a small town who gets run over by a drunk foreigner and yet no one cares. So next time I write about the good life in santiago, i want non of you racist snobs pointing fingers at me.
AZB
 

canadian bob

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Jan 16, 2002
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dominican kills a foreigner = 130 plus posts.
Foreigner kills a poor dominican = 8 posts.

People call me racists, classist, snob blah blah blah for not defending the poor and needy. Here is a church going decent dominican lady from a small town who gets run over by a drunk foreigner and yet no one cares. So next time I write about the good life in santiago, i want non of you racist snobs pointing fingers at me.
AZB

Hey Azb! "no one cares." ; "racist snobs..." "pointing fingers at me."
These remarks are not called for, here or anywhere else on this board.
Grow up!! Canadian Bob.
 

MommC

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Mar 2, 2002
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Although this qualifies you as a civilized member of society
you should think twice whether those acts of samaritanism
are appropriate in Sodom and Gomorrah.

m'frog

While none of those stops have been in "Sodom and Gomorrah" as per above , since we don't travel the highways and byways on days when drinking and driving is most likely to occur, some of them have been in the good ole US of A , where one is apt to get their a$$ sued off for assisting.
Being a trained medical personel both my husband and I feel it is our duty to save lives whenever possible.
This also means neither of us would even consider drinking and driving.
Too bad everyone else doesn't think the same way!
 

Larry

Gold
Mar 22, 2002
3,513
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Dominican kills dominican( poor or otherwise) in drunk driving accident= 0 posts

we dont make the rules.....

bob

I am very sorry to hear this news. My heart goeas out to you and your family.

If it was another poor Dominican who did this, it would be a common occurance but because he was Canadian, I imagine he is in for major problems.

Larry
 

Lambada

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Mar 4, 2004
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My condolences also, Fiesta Mama. In your earlier thread you asked for links to newspaper coverage of this: there is a brief piece in the print version of El Faro. The online version isn't online yet, so whether this will feature in that I don't know (not everything from print version makes it to the online version). How much this will help I don't know either since there seem to be some differences from your earlier description of the tragedy. Print version says Josefina was on a passola when she was hit by a Daihatsu camioneta driven by Hector Esteban. No mention in the paper of a state of inebriation or Canadian nationality. It also says her 14 year old daughter also called Josefina was taken to a private medical clinic and that the location of the accident was La Gran Parada and that El Faro received the information from the PP North Regional Police Command.
 

Fiesta Mama

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Jan 28, 2004
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Thanks everyone. I was not meaning in any way that the fact that she was hit by a Canadian is any more or less important than anyone else being hit. MommC is right...the point is that the person was drunk and I was just so sad that I had to put this in writing.

That all being said, it doesn't sound like we will ever get the full truth since the article Lambada mentions is not acurate. I spoke to Eliani last night and they were definitely standing on the side of the road and were not on a passola and the daughter's name is Eliani not Josefina and she is 14. How can the facts get so screwed up??? She was taken to the hospital in Montellano and is now recovering at the neighbour's home as they are helping to take care of her while her father and the rest of the adults take care of the business matters. Unfortunately she remembers most things about the accident which we were hoping she would not but hopefully over time her mind and heart will recover. The family was told by the police that the driver was Canadian and that he was drunk, however, when the family attended at Court yesterday and the guy had already paid a fee to get out of jail they wondered about the facts. Now I don't know if he really was Canadian or if the person was even drunk. I really don't care either... it won't bring her back. I was just so upset and devestated and wondered if anyone had any information. It's an eye opener for me to see how the police deal with accidents down there and how the truth may never be known and how things get covered up and people can pay their way out of things. It's one thing to hear these stories but quite another to experience it.

Thanks again for all your thoughts.
 

chiquittabanana

New member
Feb 11, 2004
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Really sorry

For the last 6 months or more I never posted,,, but these news are breaking my heart.

Almost 10 years ago I had my driver's license suspended for 90 days due to a DUI, the longest 90 days of my life, the suspension that maybe saved my life. Since then never even after a sip of alcohol I would take the wheel, nor here in Canada or the DR,,, my husband says I was scared sobber since that was my first and only OPP related issue.

I don't know how that driver can actually live day by day, I still have vivid images of the cruiser pulling me over and me forgetting about the "merengue" I was playing at that moment.

It took that whole ordeal (being arrested with handcufs and the whole nine yards) for me never to do it again,,, but the freedom of drinking and driving in the DR is the invitation to a care-free-drink-drive-life-style. In 2005 I took my videocamera and taped the purchase of Presidente in several gas stations so I can prove to my co-workers I was not dreaming of drink-drive free roads.

With my DUI I lost my PRIVILIGE to drive, as I said the longest 90 days of my life, a charge which I was able to beat out of court due to a "technical procedure" from my lawyer which cost me thousands of dollars. I know I didn't deserve break, but I learned my lesson and since then I am a serious advocate to not drinking and driving, to the extreme that I take keys off my guest at my house parties unless a designated driver is allocated.

THE LAW MUST CHANGE in the DR, and they must apply to ALL drivers regardless of status in the country.

REALLLLY sorry about your loss.

CB
 

Ricardo900

Silver
Jul 12, 2004
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I believe there is a law against Drinking & Driving, but I remember on one of my trips, I brought along with me a large bottle of Cognac from JFK Duty Shop and after my third day, I was tired of drinking that strong stuff, so I gave it (half a bottle left) to my friend who drives a cab, the next morning I walked to the corner and saw him and 4 other cabbies with full cups of cognac in their hands, it was 11:00 in the day. I've noticed that this country is a drinking country and that's never going to change. I've seen pregnant women drink beer with out a care. You can offer anybody a drink and they will gladly accept it, no matter who it is or where they are working.
 

Eddyx

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Sep 9, 2005
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I believe there is a law against Drinking & Driving, but I remember on one of my trips, I brought along with me a large bottle of Cognac from JFK Duty Shop and after my third day, I was tired of drinking that strong stuff, so I gave it (half a bottle left) to my friend who drives a cab, the next morning I walked to the corner and saw him and 4 other cabbies with full cups of cognac in their hands, it was 11:00 in the day. I've noticed that this country is a drinking country and that's never going to change. I've seen pregnant women drink beer with out a care. You can offer anybody a drink and they will gladly accept it, no matter who it is or where they are working.

According with the transit law in DR, this drunk canadian driver could get a sentence from 2 to 5 years in the jail.