JasonOverstreet's Blog

"It’s about time we stop looking at car wrecks as “accidents” and victims as nameless victims."

Long-since time, Jason.....But, unfortunately it's not going to happen. In fact, it only happens when it hits "home", when the victim is a family member or close friend.

There will always be that percentage of motorists who take incredible chances, drive well beyond their skill level and jeopardize everyone around them. And, with millions of vehicles on the highways surrounding the Metroplex at any given moment, someone in that percentile is almost always present.

We're not alone. It's the same in every area of the country - and especially major metropolitan areas. There is little or no control over speed and speed kills. It's a way of life here.....or, as I like to say, a way of death.

Froggie, it doesn't get any easier over time or with years of experience. My very FIRST night on duty as a fulltime police officer I had a fatal accident to investigate. It was Friday, August 13th, 1976 and involved three members of a wedding party. Their compact car slammed into a bridge abutment at approximately 70 mph. I'll spare you the rest of the details.

He came to the news crew and talked to them.

I lost 6 cousins (One was 9 months pregnant) when the driver was going too fast on an icy road in Ohio and hit a tree so hard it cut the car in half.

I lost my boss because the other driver couldn't slow down on a rain slicked road.

I lost several friends in high school who thought a drivers license made them professional drivers. (They were also ditching to go hang out at the beach)

I lost an Uncle when another driver didn't stop at the stop sign because he was in a hurry.

Speed, weaving in and out of traffic, passing on the shoulder, inattention to your surroundings or your driving, getting mad at the driver who is driving the speed limit then driving like a crazy person will all kill. Some may get away with it today but tomorrow they may not.

I find that viewers can be very judgmental about these kinds of extremely emotional stories. I kind of suspect it's based on the portrayal of reporters in movies because people don't often get to see how real reporters actually go about their jobs, get their interviews and put together their stories. I remember years ago I interviewed a State troopers wife and mother on the same day he was killed. I was unsure if i even wanted to approach them under the circumstances. However I thought if I was going to tell this young man's story, who knew him better than his wife and mom? I wanted them to be involved if THEY wanted to be involved. I contacted them, apologized for intruding, told them what I was doing and asked if they were interested in speaking to me... again, completely their call. If the answer was no, they'd never hear from me again. They called me back, said they wanted to talk and I actually interviewed them in a quiet place at the funeral home, about 5 hours after this trooper died. I have to admit I wasn't sure how I felt about the whole process at the time. It was very emotional for everyone involved. I even got a telephone death threat from a state trooper because I had interviewed these two grieving family members.
Fast forward one year, and on the anniversary of his death, I got a long hand written letter from the trooper's widow praising my professionalism and thanking me for the opportunity that day to publicly tell the world how much she loved her husband. For her, speaking to a reporter and telling her story had been a good thing.
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I have on occasion thought that somebody shouldn't be talking to reporters so quickly after a shocking event... but I think we can only make that call for ourselves, and must try not to judge the process for others. I was going to say that's my two cents, but I seem to have gone on and on... 10 cents?

Quite an experience, Steve. You all are quite a punching bag. It's a challenge for us viewers to discern when you're doing your job from when you're (collectively) out of line. Mix in the clutter of papparazzi, amateurs, wannabes, politicos etc. and we (collectively) unfairly wrap you all up in the same package as reporters.

eager, remember the reporter from Die Hard? I think it was the first one.

Even if that used to be the norm, I think things are changing. From what I have observed at student conferences and even from my own advisers--respect is the name of the game.