Chiefs and Ariel Young joint statement

[Sassy Squatch]

Here’s the statement between the Chiefs & the family of Ariel Young, the young girl who was critically injured in a multi-vehicle accident on Feb. 4 that involved Britt Reid, who was charged in April with driving while intoxicated. pic.twitter.com/NDUSVVoCli

— Nate Taylor (@ByNateTaylor) November 19, 2021

[frozenchief]

I get the hatred an anger directed at Britt Reid. But I’ve represented several people who decided to drive after drinking too much and then they injured or killed someone. My comments are not meant to excuse such conduct because there is no excuse. But I do hope to provide different perspective.

Keep in mind I’ve represented a number of people charged with really serious crimes. I represented a guy who electrocuted his infant son to get back at his mail order bride. I represented a guy who literally beat someone to death by stomping that guy’s head onto a linoleum-covered concrete floor. I represented a guy who killed someone who offered him a ride. I’ve walked into courtrooms and been literally the only person there for a person charged with a heinous crime. Not my favorite way to spend a work day but being in a courtroom full of people that literally hate you for speaking up for the rights of someone they hate is just part of the job.

And my DUI assault/homicide cases are just different. Most are people who have issues in their life or make bad decisions or just don’t think they’re impaired. And their remorse is almost universally overwhelming, which is quite different than just an evil SOB who’s facing sentencing for killing someone.

I remember one kid. He was 21 and had been drinking too much with friends. Young, drunk and male, he was hurtling down an ice-covered road at about 85+ mph and missed where the road turned. He wrapped his car around a phone pole. The car came to rest on the driver’s side so he was on the bottom. His friend was still seat-belted in above him, the blood running onto my client. The pictures were god-awful.

He pled and we went to sentencing and the State was arguing for some sentence and I was arguing for less and victims and family and everybody was in the courtroom crying and moaning and all carrying on. It came time for my client to speak and he sat there quietly for a bit of time. We had discussed how to best address the judge and he went completely off script. I will never forget it.

He said, in essence (it’s been 15+ years since this one but I still remember it): Judge, you have to send me to jail. I get that and I know that and I accept that. And the DA is arguing for a bunch of time and my lawyer is asking for less and (dead guy’s family) is asking for time and my family is asking for less. And I don’t really care. I don’t care how much time you sentence me to because the fact is, I killed my best friend. I’d known him for years. We’d ridden snow machines and ATVs together. We went through High School together. And we talked and thought about our life together and I killed him. I killed him. And nothing you do today will ever take that away. And every night when I sleep, I see him in my dreams, his dead body above me, blood dripping from his head onto me. And I knew he was dead. I knew I’d killed my best friend. And judge, you could put me in prison for the rest of my life or you could let me out tomorrow but nothing will ever take away the fact that I killed my best friend. And no prison you send me to will ever be as hellish as the knowledge that I did.”

When he got done, I think the only dry eye in the courtroom was the DA because he was a heartless son of a bitch. But I think about that case every so often and I think about my other DUI homicides/assaults. Maybe Brett (Britt? I don’t know) is just a callous, heartless bastard. All of us have made mistakes, some of them bad, a few of us really bad. But I bet very few have made a mistake that literally cripples a young girl for the rest of her life. And if Brett is anything like my other clients who face similar charges, the anger, hostility, and vitriol aimed at him is absolutely nothing compared to what he directs at himself.

I feel very bad for that girl and her family. She did nothing to deserve this. And Brett absolutely needs to pay a price for his crime. But I also suspect that Brett is ashamed and embarrassed and tremendously guilty for his crime and that for the rest of his life, that girl’s face will haunt his dreams.

[WhawhaWhat]

Originally Posted by frozenchief

I remember one kid. He was 21 and had been drinking too much with friends. Young, drunk and male, he was hurtling down an ice-covered road at about 85+ mph and missed where the road turned. He wrapped his car around a phone pole. The car came to rest on the driver’s side so he was on the bottom. His friend was still seat-belted in above him, the blood running onto my client. The pictures were god-awful.

He pled and we went to sentencing and the State was arguing for some sentence and I was arguing for less and victims and family and everybody was in the courtroom crying and moaning and all carrying on. It came time for my client to speak and he sat there quietly for a bit of time. We had discussed how to best address the judge and he went completely off script. I will never forget it.

He said, in essence (it’s been 15+ years since this one but I still remember it): Judge, you have to send me to jail. I get that and I know that and I accept that. And the DA is arguing for a bunch of time and my lawyer is asking for less and (dead guy’s family) is asking for time and my family is asking for less. And I don’t really care. I don’t care how much time you sentence me to because the fact is, I killed my best friend. I’d known him for years. We’d ridden snow machines and ATVs together. We went through High School together. And we talked and thought about our life together and I killed him. I killed him. And nothing you do today will ever take that away. And every night when I sleep, I see him in my dreams, his dead body above me, blood dripping from his head onto me. And I knew he was dead. I knew I’d killed my best friend. And judge, you could put me in prison for the rest of my life or you could let me out tomorrow but nothing will ever take away the fact that I killed my best friend. And no prison you send me to will ever be as hellish as the knowledge that I did.”

When he got done, I think the only dry eye in the courtroom was the DA because he was a heartless son of a bitch. But I think about that case every so often and I think about my other DUI homicides/assaults.rime and that for the rest of his life, that girl’s face will haunt his dreams.

Don't leave me hanging after all of that. What was the sentence?

[frozenchief]

Originally Posted by WhawhaWhat

Don't leave me hanging after all of that. What was the sentence?

Alaska does not have a straight ‘DUI homicide’ statute. Instead, DUI homicides are a sub-section between manslaughter and murder 2. Sentences ranged from 8-15 years depending on a variety of factors, at least for first offenses. Manslaughter had a sentence of 5-20 years and murder 2 was 10-99 years. The State demanded a plea to murder 2* and the State wanted 18 years. We were arguing for 10 years, the minimum allowed under the murder 2 statute. The judge gave my guy 11 years with some time suspended.



* there were other people in the car and they were injured, although not severely. Each person, though, was a felony assault charge that would require a consecutive sentence. The State would not agree to manslaughter but they would dismiss all of the other charges so in one sense, it was kind of a wash.

[JakeF]

Why are the Chiefs liable at all?

Even if Britt somehow drank on the job, it's not as if this is allowed by the Chiefs. This is not a bar, who might be held responsible for serving someone more alcohol than would be considered reasonably safe.

I don't understand how this is anyone's fault but Britt Reid?

[Why Not?]

Originally Posted by JakeF

Why are the Chiefs liable at all?

Even if Britt somehow drank on the job, it's not as if this is allowed by the Chiefs. This is not a bar, who might be held responsible for serving someone more alcohol than would be considered reasonably safe.

I don't understand how this is anyone's fault but Britt Reid?

Kinda the way of the world now. Personal responsibility isn’t so much a thing anymore. Hell, half the people on CP wanted to blame Andy for the actions of his grown man son.

To be clear, if someone in upper management or whatnot knew that Britt Reid had been drinking at the faculty and knew he was driving, that’s a different story but on face value alone, this seems to be all on BR.

Glad the Chiefs took care of this girl. PR move or not, it was the right thing to do.

[JohnnyV13]

Originally Posted by JakeF

Why are the Chiefs liable at all?

Even if Britt somehow drank on the job, it's not as if this is allowed by the Chiefs. This is not a bar, who might be held responsible for serving someone more alcohol than would be considered reasonably safe.

I don't understand how this is anyone's fault but Britt Reid?

the best argument that the Chiefs are liable is Britt Reid's history of drug use. That argument would run that the Chiefs should have known that Reid could pose a risk of falling back into substance abuse in a high-pressure job like NFL football coach. And substance abusers tend to pose more risk to others. thus the Chiefs are somewhat responsible for creating this higher risk to other people.

I think it's a thin argument.

[jallmon]

I'm glad the Chiefs (Hunts) are doing what they can to make amends to Ariel and her family, and everyone has agreed to it.