A Lapse In Judgment; A Devastating Loss
By MICHAEL C. JAINCHILL
January 27, 2008
Unfortunately, the tragic consequences of youthful actions and poor decisions can touch many lives and resonate for years to come. For Anthony Alvino the full weight of his misjudgment undoubtedly began to bear at his sentencing Wednesday for the hit-and-run death of University of Connecticut freshman Carlee Wines in January 2007. For others who knew Carlee, the burden is heavier still.
"I was going to be the maid of honor in my best friend's wedding, " said Jennifer Ladja a life-long friend of Carlee's at Alvino's sentencing. I have heard many things said during court proceedings, but few more powerful. Carlee and Jennifer had grown up together and planned to be in each other's wedding when that day arrived.
Alvino, 19, of Lindenhurst, N.Y., was sentenced to 37 months in prison. When he is released, he will serve five years' probation during which he will be required to do 100 hours of community service annually. He also is required, during his probationary period, to make a $500 donation each January to a memorial fund in Wines' memory. The change ahead in his life is only one part of the aftermath of the fatal crash at his hands.
Young people are our future. When one of them is taken from us it is a tragedy of unspeakable dimensions to their loved ones, but also there is a ripple effect affecting entire communities. College students possess unlimited potential, enthusiasm and zest for life. They have set out on an educational path that will, it is hoped, one day lead them to maturity, career choices and success. Yet they are blessedly too young to understand how fleeting and precarious life can be. They feel a sense of invulnerability. What most eventually learn, through the lessons taught by experience and time, is that life is precious and to be cherished, lived and enjoyed to the fullest. It is tragic when a young person dies from an illness or disease, but it is a senseless loss when they are taken from us by one of their own.
Partying on college campuses has gone on for as long as one can remember. The decision to drink and drive, however, can, and in this case did, result in the loss of an innocent and beautiful 19-year-old woman of tremendous potential. Somehow, we all need to be more effective in helping young people understand the potentially tragic ripple effect of their poor decision making.
When the group of students, of which Alvino was part, set out to party on the UConn campus that winter weekend, they probably never thought about the effect that their decisions and actions that night might have on another person. They clearly never thought about the friends and relatives who would soon be devastated from the shock waves caused by Carlee's death.
Underage drinking and driving led to Carlee being run down in a crosswalk on the campus and then left on the side of the road to die. Rather than face the responsibility for their conduct, these students chose to run and hide, ignore the posters on campus asking that the responsible party come forward and, unbelievably, were later counseled by Alvino's parents to continue avoiding responsibility for their conduct. It was only through extraordinarily thorough and relentless police work by the UConn Police Department, and others, that those responsible were apprehended.
In November, in an effort to curb teen driving accidents, Gov. M. Jodi Rell appointed a Teen Driving Task Force to study the problem of accidents caused by inexperienced drivers making poor choices and to offer recommendations to address the issue. If anything positive can come from the loss of this wonderful young woman, perhaps it will come in the form of a recommitment from adults to impress upon our young people, in some lasting way, the long-term consequences of their decisions.
All too frequently we have experienced or read about the untimely death of a high school or college student in a traffic collision, often caused by speed, drinking or both. For a short time, the pain sears a deep mark on the minds and hearts of the classmates, friends and family of that young person. Makeshift memorials are constructed, with flowers and pictures, eulogies and poems. Then life for all of them, as it should, goes on. The painful memories fade and the lessons learned are lost as the tragedy is repeated time and time again, devastating more families and communities in our state. We must find a way to work to prevent these events from recurring.
The depth of the pain and the loss suffered by Carlee's family and friends is almost beyond comprehension. It is felt at every moment of every day and at all the times they expect to see her smiling face or hear her lovely voice. As Carlee's mother, Pam, stated at the hearing, her family began serving their life sentence, without the possibility of parole, the minute the call came from the hospital, shattering their lives.
The sentencing was about punishing Alvino for his crimes. What we must do next is work together to prevent these tragedies. Sure, Alvino will go to jail and be on probation thereafter, but he has a second chance to repair the broken pieces of his life.
Carlee had no second chance.
We can only hope that one day Carlee's friend Jennifer will find a best friend to be in her wedding.