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Los Angeles Angels Pitcher, Nick Adenhart, Falls Victim to Hit-and-Run
NEWS: Will Angels' Pitcher Nick Adenhart Murder Trial Get Change of Venue?
The year 2009 saw the death of Angel's rookie pitcher, Nick Adenhart. This was an incredibly sad event for the Angels baseball team and fans who have seen a fair share of tragedy over the years. It seems a spell of bad luck hit the team in the seventies with the deaths of Chico Ruiz, Mike Miley and pitcher Bruce Heinbechner who died from separate car accidents. Minnie Rojas and catcher Ed Kirkpatrick were paralyzed in car crashes, and outfielder Lyman Bostock was killed in a drive-by shooting in the 80s. Not long after that, Donnie Moore committed suicide in 1986. The more recent death of Angel's special assistant Preston Gomez, who was hit and killed by a truck after spring training last year, has continued to sadden this Southern Californian team.
Many of these deaths resulted from car-related incidents, but Nick Adenhart's death is all the more saddening because it was the result of drunk-driving and hit-and-run.
On April 9th, just hours after Adenhart had pitched one of the best games of his major league career, the car he was riding in with three friends was broadsided by a drunk-driver who ran a red light. This driver was found to be Thomas Gallo, 22, of San Gabriel, who had previously been found guilty of drunk-driving, drunk in public, and possession of marijuana. Gallo's license had been suspended since his drunk-driving charge in 2006.
Gallo was located, after fleeing the scene of the accident, with a blood-alcohol level two times the legal amount. He has been charged with three counts of murder and may face up to life in prison.
The deaths of Nick Adenhart and his friends are poignant as the number of hit-and-run tragedies have been on the rise for years in California. Currently, 7.8% of fatal crashes in California result in a hit-and-run. Factors contributing to the rise in hit-and-runs include illegal driving accidents -- where drivers are unlicensed or have a suspended license, drunk driving, possession of drugs, or other situations that may expose the driver's involvement in further criminal activity. In the case of Thomas Gallo, he was way over the blood-alcohol content level with a .19, likely had impaired judgment from drinking, and had a suspended license. All of these elements explain why he, and too many people in recent years, commit hit-and-run.
The attempt to escape the penalty of hit-and-run should not be rewarded and many states are adjusting laws to ensure that sentences for fleeing a crime are just as severe as those for people who are caught drinking and driving and stay at the scene of an accident.
The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety website shows that 58 percent of fatal hit and run crashes occur on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday and 47 percent of fatal hit and run crashes occur between 9PM and 3AM -- as in the accident that killed Adenhart.
Nick Adenhart's death will be mourned by Californians and baseball lovers for years to come. Hopefully the tragedy of hit-and-run and reckless driving has been further exposed and will prompt everyone on the road to be safe and responsible.
