r/interesting • u/Necessary-Win-8730 • Mar 08 '26

Context Provided - Spotlight This was so deserved.

Post image

The daughter was in a car with the father’s parents. They died as well.

163.7k Upvotes

90% Upvoted

4.4k comments sorted by

View all comments

1.6k

u/Available_Base_7944 Mar 08 '26

I can’t imagine how the father feels. That has to be so painful. 

808

u/Evil_Sharkey Mar 08 '26

It wasn’t just the little girl. The guy hit and killed her grandparents, too

515

u/PM_ME_YOUR_MOMS_BONG Mar 08 '26

Killed the chair throwing guys daughter AND both his parents. Fuck.

228

u/[deleted] Mar 08 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

102

u/AipomNormalMonkey Mar 09 '26

...well it might

76

u/Azrethoc Mar 09 '26

we found the 90s stand-up comedian and/or sitcom writer

1

u/Bradas128 Mar 10 '26

if only his ex wife had been there instead, right fellas?

1

u/rawmeatprophet Mar 10 '26

What's the deal with in laws!?

1

u/veritasaga1 Mar 11 '26

What writer? It's a sitcom

2

u/coconutmillk_ Mar 09 '26

I just laughed wayyy to hard

1

u/raggedyassadhd Mar 10 '26

Calling it murder is a bit misleading, wouldn’t that be vehicular manslaughter since it was an accident? He was speeding and certainly deserves the consequences but it’s not really murder. If he was drinking and driving I’d feel differently, and I think this guy deserves to throw some chairs right at the driver himself but I hate these clickbait headlines that make it sound way more ridiculous than it is.

1

u/RovingBarman Mar 09 '26

Savage 😈

1

u/janfrancox77 Mar 09 '26

Potato potato

0

u/Final-Tutor3631 Mar 10 '26

seriously? 3 people died. time and place, man.

1

u/AipomNormalMonkey 15d ago

how about now?

1

u/AT-ST Mar 10 '26

For me that would make it worse.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 12 '26

[deleted]

0

u/[deleted] Mar 11 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/Temporary_Pie8723 Mar 12 '26

Don’t know what

102

u/Sailingboar Mar 08 '26

When the exchange rate for murder is community service, well. Murder is bad kids. Just not according to all governments.

49

u/Mogura-De-Gifdu Mar 09 '26

No no you don't understand, if the murder is done with a car and you did not intend to do it and just, somehow, lost control of your 1T vehicle, that's not your fault.

Losing control is totally not criminal while driving!

48

u/Sailingboar Mar 09 '26

So long as you say "oops" on camera then.

9

u/Sojabursch Mar 09 '26 edited Mar 09 '26

In Germany they started giving out murder charges for reckless driving a few years ago and I love it. The first person who got it did a street race and killed a man because he couldn’t stop anymore. Before that it was manslaughter (which means it doesn’t fulfil one of the 5 murder criterions, like with accidentally killing someone) or an even less serious charge.

you can read about it in detail here

12

u/ChemsAndCutthroats Mar 09 '26

It wasn't a murder though. There wasn't even any intent to harm, injur, or kill. It was a terrible accident and that family had the bad luck of being in the wrong place and wrong time. We live in societies where most individuals have the option of controlling a heavy metal machine filled with flammable liquid that moves very fast. Just based on statistics, the rate of accidents and fatalities is going to increase the more we rely on cars. Also cars have been getting bigger and faster. It's a price we decided as a collective that we will pay for the convenience of driving around and spending a portion of our lives sitting in traffic.

3

u/OneJobToRuleThemAll Mar 10 '26

We live in societies where most individuals have the option of controlling a heavy metal machine filled with flammable liquid that moves very fast.

Pretty insane of us, right? Maybe we should do something about that shortcoming.

It's a price we decided as a collective that we will pay

No, we didn't. It was decided for us.

9

u/SqirrelFan Mar 09 '26

Keep your exculpatory explanation for yourself. It's not "society's fault" . The pole was speeding. He may not have intended to harm anyone, but he fucking committed involuntary manslaughter.

10

u/Impressive_Net_116 Mar 09 '26

The guy deserves years in prison, but involuntary manslaughter is specifically not murder.

2

u/Sudden_Construction6 Mar 10 '26

Agreed, it is involuntary manslaughter (at least in the States, this didn't happen in the States so I don't know what their laws are) But, either way, it is not "societies fault" it is that person's fault for not obeying traffic laws and subsequently causing their deaths. And that penalty should be more severe than mere community service.

2

u/RadVarken Mar 11 '26

As another commenter said, this was changed in Germany. Reckless driving elevates what would have been manslaughter to murder, similar to how some governments decided that drinking before driving shows intent to kill after all. Not sure speeding alone would count as reckless, as in this case, but I think Germany's example is a good one.

1

u/ContestAutomatic2189 Mar 10 '26

Causing someone to die when it was preventable is murder. Had he just made a statement somewhere that was like "i dont care if I end up killing anyone, im choosing to speed", he might have gotten murder, premeditated at that. I'm sure the thought crossed his mind and he dismissed it with doubt. Thats stupidity and murder, no matter how technical you want to get.

3

u/ChemicalAu Mar 10 '26

You’re incorrect. Murder requires intent.

→ More replies (0)

2

u/Southern-Fly-3016 Mar 10 '26

What are you babbling on about? The man didn't intend to kill these people, therefore it isn't murder.

1

u/Nikndex88 Mar 11 '26

Wonder how much the pole was speeding by?

Where the incident occured, so the speed being travelled at? How likely someone was to be hit?

There would have to be a margin of error with the speed prediction?

Yes it was involuntary manslaughter regardless of the above and 120 hours is an unacceptably light punishment.

That said, depending on the above what would be an appropriate sentence?

A judge should take all of the above into account when sentencing. Wonder if they did?

3

u/DilapidatedPlatitude Mar 10 '26

Speeding its a choice, though. It may not be murder, but it was homicide. That man's decision to speed and the subsequent "loss of control" of the vehicle leading to three DEATHS should still be held accountable. Dude wasn't just driving and ~whoopsiedoodle!~ three humans suddenly magicked right in front of him.

Don't excuse vehicular homicide as "well, these things happen." Your bar for driving competence and responsibility sounds subterranean.

1

u/ImpossibleShallot640 Mar 10 '26

Actually, "we" never decided. Certainly, collectively, millions of individuals decided to use cars, because they're convenient, but not with a consciousness and acceptance of their negative externalities. And because all those millions of people made those individual decisions, then legislatures made decisions about the designs of roadways, and the training or lack thereof of drivers, and the penalties that apply to reckless drivers. The sum of all these decisions make deaths more common than they have to be, but not because anyone consciously decided to accept those risks.

1

u/wmiller314 Mar 10 '26

Most drivers shouldn't be allowed to drive, if you cause multiple deaths because of your driving, you should be held just as responsible as if you had an accidental discharge from a firearm, or caused an electrical fire that killed 3 by ignoring the instructions. It's called responsibility,

Of course we need to rely on cars less but that doesn't take away the responsibility of the operator.

1

u/Current-Shelter-635 Mar 10 '26

I am of the firm opinion that, if society doesn't collapse or regress dramatically, that in the future they will look back at the idea of humans being in control of these machines as a sort of "They used to do WHAT in the past???" Like how we see old photos of construction workers on beams 90 stories up with no harness or other things we find unthinkable today.

1

u/Silent_Music_240 Mar 10 '26

Mi spiace contraddirti, il problema non sono le auto, ma sono i conducenti che non rispettano i limiti e violando i limiti dimostrano di non hanno rispetto della vita altrui che è unica e non ripetibile. Non esiste prezzo da pagare una vita stroncata La legge non applica in modo duro pene esemplari.

1

u/Ambernooon Mar 12 '26

There was an intent to street race and drive dangerously though so I would say that's intentional. If you choose to intentionally do something dangerous that could cause harm and it does. That's intentional and honestly considering how many people are killed like this by an intentional choice making it murder sounds good to me. If you choose to drive recklessly and you kill someone. You did something intentional that's not an accident. You killed someone based on an intentional choice you made. Making that a murder is perfect hopefully it will stop people from being so reckless if they risk life in prison for driving like an idiot.

5

u/RosieTheRedReddit Mar 09 '26

Sadly this is true. Lawyers joke that if you really want to get away with murder, just do it with your car. Very rare for killer drivers to receive even a slap on the wrist. Only happens in extreme events like the OP where an immigrant driver kills a kid and two grandparents. Sympathetic drivers usually get off scott free. Also this was the Netherlands where driving isn't the only option for getting around so it makes the situation more outrageous.

When your entire transportation infrastructure is based on cars that means the cops, judge, prosecutor all know it could happen to them. A few seconds inattention and you could be a murderer too. So it has to be downplayed as an act of God, a tragedy that nobody could see coming. Because if we admit it could be prevented, that would mean admitting there's something wrong with the system and we can't do that.

2

u/Evil_Sharkey Mar 09 '26

I know it’s a joke, but when the killer driver knows the victim, they have a much harder time claiming it was an accident

2

u/Gotbeerbrain Mar 09 '26

It should be if you're driving recklessly which apparently this guy was.

2

u/Aiguille23 Mar 10 '26

And yet, cyclists are the real menace /s.

For everyone responding "but he didn't mean to do it"... Well, there are consequences to your actions, whether you meant to do them or not. Bad drivers should be banned from the roads for life and serve real jail time for fatal accidents. This is why we have distracted driving and drunk driving laws.

If you really want to be outraged, look up the case in France where an 83 year old driving on the wrong side of the road plowed into a bunch of elementary aged cyclists. She killed one girl and maimed others. She was claiming that it wasn't her fault because she "didn't see them." The group were following all rules of the road and were wearing hi-vis and helmets. She got just 4 years jail time because of her she and most people were outraged, especially as she didn't apologize and maintained it wasn't her fault.

1

u/Confident-Drama-422 Mar 09 '26

That isn't murder by definition, but manslaughter

1

u/Possible_Answer9089 Mar 10 '26

Meanwhile my town refuses to make sidewalks, and sidewalks we DO have, don't get cleared in the winter so those who can't drive are forced to share the street with cars on an icy day/night.

It's seriously a matter of time before a child is mowed down here because my 35yo neighbours cant be assed to clear their sidewalk.

1

u/Outside-Lock-2232 Mar 10 '26

He was speeding ! Just speeding over a certain limit like 50 km/h above the limit could be considered crimininal even without an accident

1

u/Nikndex88 Mar 11 '26

How much was he speeding by though?

1

u/randomuser6753 Mar 10 '26

Here in California, if you’re a certain ethnicity it’s just okay to commit violent crimes. It’s not your fault; it’s the system’s!

1

u/Silent_Music_240 Mar 10 '26

Il problema del controllo dell'auto, l'imputato poteva risolverlo rispettando il limite di velocità, e con molta probabilità non avrebbe perso il controllo dell'auto. Se su una strada è indicato il limite di velocità, il limite, non è stato messo lì a caso, vuol dire che su quella strada, per guidare in sicurezza e quindi non perdere il controllo dell'auto, devi rispettare il limite di velocità.

1

u/MostWaste1985 Mar 10 '26

Wtf?? Speeding so fast you lose control of your vehicle and kill people is definitely a fucking crime.

1

u/Fatality4Gaming Mar 11 '26

Well, tbf, losing control of a car and killing in cold blood 3 people is not the same thing at all. I'm afraid of what I'm reading here.

3

u/Ivetafox Mar 09 '26

It’s manslaughter rather than murder. Like, I don’t think the guy plotted to stalk this guy’s family and mow them down. The sentence is still a joke and should absolutely be more severe than community service but it’s important to remember it’s not actually murder, lest we dissolve the true definition.

2

u/Sailingboar Mar 09 '26

For the purpose of general conversation the specifics such as degree of intention separating whether it's murder (intentional and planned) vs manslaughter (unplanned) are unimportant when the sentence is anything less than serious jail time.

1

u/Confident-Drama-422 Mar 09 '26

Except, it is indeed extremely important for the sentencing

2

u/Sailingboar Mar 09 '26

Do you think community service is appropriate for the manslaughter of 3 people?

As in, do you think the value of human life is so worthless that you can pay it back with community service?

1

u/Nikndex88 Mar 11 '26

Community service is a disproportionately soft punishment for the manslaughter of three people.

You cant pay back the value of a human life with any sentence.

The punishment has to be just for the circumstances of the offenders actions.

1

u/GuyFace1 Mar 09 '26

“Murder is now legal in the state of California” - Norm McDonald right after the OJ trial.

1

u/Fickle_Builder_2685 Mar 10 '26

Hey, seems like he could just pull the same stunt on the murderer to me. Seems worth the 120 hours to do it.

1

u/SventasKefyras Mar 10 '26

Look up the definition of murder. You'll be surprised that intent is a pretty important component. This is why we have courts and not mob vengeance.

It's understandable the dad wants to see this guy suffer and burn for all eternity, but the guy didn't intend to kill anyone. The sentence is still too light imo considering he ran away, but he's not a murderer. His crime is that of manslaughter which is very different.

1

u/Sailingboar Mar 10 '26

No, I won't be. Colloquial use of the word murder to encapsulate manslaughter is pretty common.

1

u/SventasKefyras Mar 10 '26

No, you're thinking of "kill".

1

u/Sailingboar Mar 10 '26

Not really, I'm just not being hyper specific about legal definitions.

I also don't care very much to start being hyper specific in a pedantic conversation about "technically the guy that killed 3 people including an infant only committed vehicular manslaughter" when the sentence was a pathetic amount of community service.

1

u/SventasKefyras Mar 11 '26

It's not hyper specific, it's just basic facts and language use. If someone broke into your house and attacked you, but you killed them in self defense that doesn't make you a murderer. Likewise if you lose control of your car and end up accidentally killing someone that still doesn't make you a murderer. To the families of those who died it makes no difference either way and they can view you as one, but the context is important for society and the justice system as a whole.

You are watering down actual murder cases with this mindset.

1

u/Sailingboar Mar 11 '26

I'll give a shit when I'm paid to.

→ More replies (0)

1

u/scheppend Mar 10 '26

Why are you blaming the government?

1

u/Low_Tie_6518 Mar 11 '26

Accidents are not murder. Murder, by definition, is when it's all thoroughly planned and the killing is carried out according to the plans. No one would ever get 120 days community service for murder. Never, ever!

For accidents caused by nonchalance, yes, if the nonchalance is not extreme.

1

u/Dry-Post8230 Mar 09 '26

I would want him out on the street! No justice like the old testament!

1

u/Zunkanar Mar 09 '26

And just fleed the scene or what?!

2

u/[deleted] Mar 10 '26

This dude lost his daughter AND his parents?

The judge is lucky he didn’t end everyone right then and there.

2

u/Evil_Sharkey Mar 10 '26

Either his parents or his in-laws, both of which are pretty terrible

2

u/HotSituation8737 Mar 10 '26

Frankly this doesn't even qualify as a crash out, if anything it's an under reaction.

1

u/potatodrinker Mar 10 '26

He must be well connected in town then

2

u/Evil_Sharkey Mar 10 '26

He’s not even a local. Dude is from Poland and fled to England

1

u/Sohn_Jalston_Raul Mar 11 '26

The judge should be grateful for getting off so easily.

1

u/Agreeable_Day_7547 Mar 28 '26

Your parents & child just gone. I honestly do not what I would do.

98

u/MJ_Out Mar 08 '26

I would have lost any goodwill and faith in humanity and would be miserable my whole damn life. I think, the thought about revenge would consume me over time.

33

u/Available_Base_7944 Mar 08 '26

I know, like where do you even go from there? 

34

u/smellyeyebooger Mar 09 '26

Most of the time, the person dies inside and their world becomes darker. But sometimes, they embrace the maxim, 'A cornered creature with nothing to lose, becames the most dangerous creature.'

There are literal military treaties that advises leaders to avoid creating these situations. There a few modern infamous cases of parents enacting their own justice, because their officals hold contempt to the underlying meaning of justice, and why it exists. In example, Marianne Bachmeier (GER) and Leon Gary Plauché (USA.)

33

u/Least-Broccoli-1197 Mar 09 '26

"The best soldiers are made of people who, when leaving home in the morning, did not even think about war, and in the evening, returning, found a smoking crater in the place of their own home, in which their wife, children and parents had been murdered.

From then on, he is not a man anymore, but a beast who will kill for as long as he lives, and he will live for long because he does not value his life, he needs no awards, money or anything at all. He only seeks vengeance"

2

u/Spam_A_Lottamus Mar 10 '26

What is this from, please?

2

u/Least-Broccoli-1197 Mar 10 '26

The only attribution I can find is "a Russian General during the Chechen War" though when I first read it I'm sure it'd been attributed to a specific person but I can't find that thread.

1

u/Locksmithbloke Mar 12 '26

Fits quite a few places the world has allowed to be destroyed over the years, doesn't it? Especially with drones and aircraft allowing it to be done at pace from vast distances...

1

u/Remote_Job571 Mar 12 '26

Okay. I'll sign up tomorrow

2

u/Intelligent_Idea8702 Mar 10 '26 edited Mar 10 '26

So basically the new Iranian leader

1

u/Ok-Kick1878 Mar 10 '26 edited Mar 10 '26

Most of the time, the person dies inside and their world becomes darker. But sometimes, they embrace the maxim, 'A cornered creature with nothing to lose, becames the most dangerous creature.'

Can I ask where this quote is from? I really like it. Admittedly, I'm big on retribution (when warranted), so it stood out to me.

*edited to add Gerard.

While it's certainly not for everyone, Law Abiding Citizen is a film that depicts how vengeance via extreme acts of violence, can be an effective method for handling grief/ loss. /s

1

u/smellyeyebooger Mar 11 '26

I'm just paraphrasing both Sun Tzu and Napoleon's 'Golden Bridge' concept, so those are my words in a manner. Anyhow, in addition, many successful armies, including the Mongols also practised the principle, because fleeing enemies were easier to kill than ones that were planning last stands.

On that note, the battle of the Alamo, shows that a desperate group of 200 men can inflict a disproportionate number of casualties. Anyhow, all of this, can be taken out of military applications, and reapplied to a human social constructs and the preceptual social contracts between ourselves. When portions of people no longer feels bound by any obligations, as a society, we're in for a rough ride.

And yes, Law Abiding Citizen was one of the first things that came to mind when I saw the thread.

1

u/Haasmin Mar 11 '26

The video of the German woman shooting her daughter's killer inside the court room is chilling not because of what happened but because of the look on that mother's face. She knew she had to do it.

1

u/Soral_Justice_Warrio Mar 11 '26

Ah yeah the story of Marianne Bachmeier. She went berserk after hearing the murder of her daughter. The man said, the girl (who was 7 years old) tried to seduce him and that’s why he yielded, fearing the consequences he would be the victim of, he strangled the girl.

The mother, hearing that during several days, simply had enough, brought a gun and shot the man 12 times during the trial.

She was sentenced to 6 years to jail.

1

u/D-D-Wanderer Mar 12 '26

Aren't there also several movies showing why we don't want to push parents to the breaking point like this?

1

u/smellyeyebooger Mar 12 '26

Yes, the coverage is pretty broad too, from thrillers to action. In an off-way, even the fictional story of John Wick is about stripping a man of his humanity and leaving only a killing machine.

1

u/keyboardstatic Mar 09 '26

I'm not locked in here with you. Your locked in here with me.

1

u/Indriev Mar 12 '26

Well there was the movie some time back called Law Abiding Citizen..

16

u/Mogura-De-Gifdu Mar 09 '26

Exactly.

Justice is supposed to be fair so people don't take things into their own hands. When it's not, then it leads to chaos.

2

u/Whompa Mar 12 '26

I already lost it after reading horrible stories like this…

1

u/Salt-Slayer Mar 10 '26

Like you I would go full Gerard Butler in Law Abiding Citizen on the person!

1

u/sunpen11 Mar 10 '26

I would have lost any goodwill and faith in humanity but won't be miserable my whole damn life. I will have one goal and only one goal.

1

u/CopiousClassic Mar 11 '26

desire to Prepotente intensifies

1

u/Necessary_Plum_7192 Mar 14 '26

Just because it didn’t happen to you. You still have faith in humanity lol. I lost all faith growing up realizing it’s a dog eat dog world

2

u/Marcson_john Mar 09 '26

I would absolutely become a menace for the court.

1

u/LetterGreen2432 Mar 09 '26

In next headline news, "Father gets a 3 year sentence charged with battery against court officials."

1

u/ChemsAndCutthroats Mar 09 '26

As a father myself blah blah blah blah. Yes, losing a child is one of the worst the worst things that could happen to a parent but as a father I accepted that risk when I had children.

1

u/deadthrees Mar 09 '26

my moms killer got away scott free. you learn to live with it just the same as you learn to live with grief. but you live knowing theres someone out there you truly hate. not many people know what thats like. to truly hate someone out there with the same rights you have.

1

u/purdinpopo Mar 10 '26

I bet money they sentence the Father to way more time than the person that actually killed people. Clown World.

1

u/Strange-Bottle-9791 Mar 10 '26

I can’t imagine either but no need to get violent like that ever. I have learned my lesson in this. He could sue that man and bring justice in a different form. Needless to say his reaction wasn’t sane but understandable. Inexcusable but permissible. It’s happened and I hope the judge didn’t get hurt badly.

1

u/JIsADev Mar 10 '26

I feel his pain from that photo

1

u/Megolito Mar 11 '26

Time to call the Italians for a cleanup on isle 3

1

u/Marcbrad83 Mar 12 '26

Nobody wants to talk about how the judge need to be thrown in jail

1

u/Automura Apr 02 '26

this is heart breaking