Authorities have determined that the driver of a Jimmy John’s delivery vehicle that struck and killed a 5-year-old boy July 6 at Windsor Woods in Wayland had THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, in her system.
A probable cause hearing for the driver, Amber Collige, 33, is scheduled for 1 p.m. Thursday. She had been arraigned Sept. 26 on a charge of driving while under the influence of a controlled substance causing death.
According to the police report, Collige told authorities she was unable to stop in time to avoid hitting 5-year-old Blake Hoffman, who was riding his bike in the mobile home park. Police said she was driving between 25 and 34 miles per hour at the time of the incident.
Authorities also indicated Collige admitted she regularly used marijuana, but did not possess the proper medical card.
…and yet there are people who want to legalize marijuana. As if possessing a “proper medical card” would make this any less a tragedy. What a shame.
My heart aches for the Hoffman family.
It’s a tragedy and I’ll hazard to guess the delivery driver was hired as a temp or contract employee so her employer, the Jimmy Johns franchisee and Jimmy Johns corporate will claim no liability in the child’s death.
The drug used by the driver happened to be marijuana. Others are killed when a driver is abusing prescription drugs while others use alcohol and drive drunk. This driver used marijuana for recreational use or self-medication and didn’t have a medical marijuana card, which means she didn’t see a doctor to see if that drug was a viable option.
While I think many states will legalize marijuana for personal use because their state legislators find tax revenue as an acceptable self-imposed tax by individual users, my concern is the state needs to set up regulations, including agreed upon testing to set standards for THC levels, minimum multiple levels up to the highest like we have with alcohol. Until that’s done legalization should be on the back burner.
I would like to see new state laws eliminating the liability dodges so the business owners or franchisee, the parent company that holds the franchise in the case of one company having multiple locations and corporation selling the franchises be held responsible for delivery drivers.
We may see fewer delivery drivers, but those who remain will be held to a higher standard because their employers know the escape hatch for using the independent contractor excuse has been nailed shut.
Just the tip of the huge iceberg coming at us if the MJ bill is approved by voters. And don’t use the alcohol comparison either. If you do that’s like saying we need more inebriated and high people on the road, as if the human destruction by alcohol isn’t bad enough. We are better than that as a society.
For those dopers that can’t get enough weed, move to Colorado and see the death and destruction on their highways since it was legalized. You want that for Michigan? For once think of others before your own selfish needs.
DT on me:
Do you really believe the so-called “dopers ” you refer to need this bill passed to obtain more weed?
This bill was presented basically because if you can not stop the flow… tax it… which will bring in more revenue for the state.
Everyone proclaims it will increase vehicle accidents. Has anyone really compared those with this drug in their system to the accident rate of distracted drivers without drugs or with alcohol in their system?
The fact remains this country has been fighting the “drug war” for years. And we are no closer to winning than the day it started… legalization will give some control and possible records of users… maybe.
Will legalization make us a better or worse society…?
Death caused by alcohol and or drugs is a tragedy… even more horrific when a young child is involved.
To address your last paragraph, why is it when we know the harm and suffering drugs has decimated a person’s body and to society has a whole, we throw up our hands and allow it to happen just because they are going to do it and we can get some tax revenue from it. How utterly sad we have allowed ourselves to think this way.
Well, we have killed babies in the womb, now we are to allow drugs to run rampant? Next thing will be murder of another is allowed because the accused had a hard life!
Mr. Ranger is right, the rotting of America from within is a reality.
Yes, we have thrown in the towel, as you have stated we have allowed/ tolerated so many things we may or may not have reached the point of no return.
Will the revenue from taxes on drugs be used to educate the public, maybe…..
Have we as a society reached a point of no return on these issues…let’s hope not.
Is there a way to stop abortion, drugs, alcohol, violence, etc…..possibly. Are we as a society ready to do what is necessary to achieve that goal…at this point I would say no.
Death whether expected or not is a tragedy and always will be. Here is where I do not expect anyone or request them to agree.
I believe that I truly have no control on when, how,or why I die. I also believe every death has a purpose, we may not see it as such, but later it my become aware as to why.
Is/are we as a Country rotting from within….probably….will there be a way to stop it….maybe, but many will oppose what it will take to do so