Alcohol

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Giovanni Vaccarello, a retired machinist form Brooklyn, New York, never took the safety of his family for granted. He often drove Maria, 18, and
Concetta, 17, to their part time jobs. John, his fourteen year old son, was to wear a beeper at all times so that he would never be out of reach. Giovanni routinely walked Cathy, his wife of twenty five years, one block to her job at the beauty salon. But with all the precautions Giovanni took, nothing could stop him from Abraham Meyers, a 25-year-old janitor from Brooklyn. At about 11:30 on May 1, 1994, Giovanni left the Russo’s catering hall in
Queens with Cathy, Maria, and Concetta. John lingered behind as the others crossed the street and headed for the car. It was then that Meyers, allegedly going at speeds over 70 mph without headlights on, smashed into them, sending the Vaccarello’s flying. Maria and Concetta died instantly, while
Cathy held on for a few hours on life support before dying. Giovanni escaped with his leg broken in three places, but suffered a heart attack that kept him in the hospital for a month. Meyers’ blood alcohol was tested at .2, double the legal limit for driving while intoxicated. This was not the first time he would face charges for driving under the influence of alcohol, he has had his license suspended 26 times and has drunk driving convictions dating back to 1967.
Although Meyers kept driving without a license, he never spent one day in jail.
He now faces up to life in prison, but this is of no con...

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