Behind the Times

A tragedy in every sense of the word

Posted on February 22, 2007 by kraus2686
Filed Under Clinton, Crime, Lancaster, Noah's posts |

Nightmare goes on and on…

We all recoiled last April at the story of 10-month pregnant Katie DiSessa and her baby’s death by the hands of an alleged drunk driver. The mental images of her boyfriend, James Rousseau holding his lifeless baby boy after rescue workers performed a Cesarean section to deliver the baby. He had a heartbeat and then it stopped.

Talking with James at McDonald’s last week for our update in this week’s paper, it was clear little had changed for James in the 10 months since the accident. He continues to live in a haze, switching back and forth from feelings of unbelievable despair to anger. The only things that had changed is his life continued to spiral downward — he couldn’t hold onto jobs and lost his vehicles. He just recently started a new job and although working more than 45 hours a week, says it’s going good so far.

When James told me he thought accused drunk driver David Zoller should be put to death, I could see the deep pain that comment was coming from. I don’t agree, but I understand.

One of the tragedies of drunk driving deaths is that we have a hard time finding a monster to blame all of this on. It would be so much easier if the accused was some dirt bag with a long record. James doesn’t need a reason to hate this man — he allegedly killed his girlfriend and baby boy. But it would be easier for us to find a reason to hate him. At his first court appearence last year, Zoller looked like a guy nervously trying to figure out how he got there. I imagine, much like for the Rousseau’s and Katie’s family, it was a bit surreal. But whatever happens, Zoller will continue living and so will those close to him. It’s not a consolation that James Rousseau has.

I’ve covered far too many drunk driving deaths last year — we had a total of six (five in Lancaster and former Clintonian “Tootie” O’Toole in Sterling. In most of these cases, the accused drunk driver was by all accounts the guy next door — no previous record. It really goes to show you what effect a bad decision can have. If he was drunk as police say, then what a horrible chain of events Zoller caused the moment he got behind the wheel thinking he could manage to drive home OK. And lets not forget those who were allegedly with him, who allowed him to climb into that vehicle. They sit on the sidelines unscathed, but I have a hard time seeing how they don’t own some of the blame.
I consider myself a pretty hard-nosed journalist. I’ve gotten pretty close to a number of tragedies over the years — talked to the victims and retold their stories and the horrible details. But the sheer number of local deaths last year and the absolute nightmare it has wrought on the lives of those left behind has been a little more than I can take.

So, please, let something come out of this. Drinking and driving can kill. Oh, I know, it’s a slogan we hear all the time. But read the story of James Rousseau and understand it in a new light. Hold yourself personally responsible not only for yourself, but for your friends and the people around you. A slight slip of the steering wheel is sometimes all that stands between life and death — and between a nice guy next door and the monstrous consequences of his actions.

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