Long Island Driver May Get 6 Months After Fatal DWI

Last August, 15-year-old Joseph Marino died after being struck by a drunk driver in Hampton Bays. Now the driver, Caroline Goss, who was found with an open container of alcohol in the car as well as her 6-year-old son, is reportedly close to making a deal with prosecutors to serve a six month sentence. A lawyer for Marino's family called the deal a "joke."

Joseph Marino had been on his bicycle and was with friends at 8:40 p.m. on August 12, 2009, when Goss hit him with her Jeep Cherokee. His mother, Dorothy Marino, told WCBS 2, "We didn't want to have to be the ones to say, 'Take him off the oxygen.' Fortunately we didn't have to do that because they came to us to ask about donating his organs," and raged against Goss, "She made the biggest mistake of her life and it has changed our lives forever. Pain, and anger, and grief. There was no Christmas tree for this year. I bet she had one. I bet her kids got presents."

The Marinos plan to fight the deal at Goss's sentencing next week; a spokesperson for prosecutors told WCBS 2 that "although Goss was drunk, she was not speeding or reckless, and if they took her to court she might have been exonerated because investigators believe Joey swerved into the lane of traffic."

Dorothy Marino said, "There is only one way to stop this, and that's through stiffer penalties and punishing them right the first time. They're basically getting away with murder." Last week, the Marinos dedicated a memorial garden in Joseph's memory near his old high school; there is also a sign that says, "Please Don't Drink and Drive."

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By Jen Chung in News on June 11, 2010 12:02 PM

Comments [rss]

Ragingsemi

"The boy suffered massive head injuries and lost consciousness at the scene. He died last Thursday at Stony Brook University Medical Center. "

This is why I just spent $100 on a bicycle helmet.

Jesse

Atrocious.

FelixtheCat & Christine Quinn'

6 months? It is better just to go to trial than. Why don't the family have a say if they don't this plea agreement? shame on the DA office.

youngpro

FELIX:

that's because the family isn't the judge who hands down sentencing in accordance with the charge(s) the defendant is guilty of. if families and victims handed down sentences, we'd have prisons chock full of people doing 100-year stints for merely punching someone, regardless if they deserved it or not.

secondly, if you read beyond a 6th-grader's level, you would understand that you cannot simply and arbitrarily give out sentences in disaccordance with the charges. who's to say she can only get 6 months for the charge she's guilty of, and that 6 months is the max?

i'm not sure about the phillipines, but this is the US, felix. we have law and order and a system that is to be respected.

ed_Extinct

The drunk driving laws in this city, state, and country are horrendous. In so many cases we are sending the message that basically, it's OK to drive drunk without a harsh penalty—it's a disgrace. Driving drunk whether you kill someone or not should be treated like attempted murder or murder.

If you're drunk and pick up a licensed gun and kill someone "accidentally" you will go to jail for a long time. However, if you're drunk and drive a car and kill someone, statistically you will not see significant jail time.

A FUCKING JOKE!

CaptainMXC

I agree with a lot of people here who say that there is no excuse. There IS NOT! DWI is against the law. If he swerved the bike, it could have been to avoid another car. If you are driving a several ton vehicle you need to be AWARE. Give her 7 years. That's the least a person gets if they smack a Bus driver, why not for killing a living human being.

Clarice City

Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/profile.php?id=729987963&ref=search

grandzu

Yup, thats her.

http://www2.timesreview.com/ST/stories/T082009_fatal_bh

Clarice City

?? Sure looks like the woman in the news, but it looks like she's British?

Clarice City

Can't be right.

henryhamilton

Furthermore. This is NOT her first DUI, and I don't know how or why you missed it.

isla

Are you serious? A drunk, repeat offender kills someone with her child in the car, and she gets 6 months?1 I am shocked. That is appalling.

brooklynmouthoff

What a sad state of affairs when negligent drunk of a woman puts her kid in a car, while she's drinking, and kills a young boy...and gets away with it. And that is essentially what is happening here. This loser is getting away with MURDER.

I sincerely hope that bigger, tougher, stronger inmates in jail with her know what she has done.

Caroline Goss, you are NOT in a position to "make deals." Your'e a pig. Your victim's parents have to live without their sons. Your kids should have to live without you.

Lock this woman up. There is no place in society for the type of woman that would, not only do this, but try to get away with it.

isla

"although Goss was drunk, she was not speeding or reckless"

WHAT?!? Driving while drunk is reckless. By the very definition.

Clarice City

"although Goss was drunk, she was not speeding or reckless, and if they took her to court she might have been exonerated because investigators believe Joey swerved into the lane of traffic."

She should not be drunk and operarting a motor vehicle. Period. It's illegal. Furthermore, even if Joey had swerved, there's a good chance that he would still be alive had she been able to react in time to avoid hitting him.

Bottom line is, if you're drunk on the road, it's ALWAYS your fault, no matter the conditions of the accident.

And, with a kid in the car? Total down and out white trash. Please remove this person from our community.

jt10000

"because investigators believe Joey swerved into the lane of traffic"

This is the usual outcome when someone is killed on a bike. The person in the car says "He swerved suddenly" and there is no one alive to dispute that.

Check out the Camille Savoy story.

Clarice City has it right about drunk driving.

kswissreject

Yep, exactly. In another scenario, she would have missed this kid and hit another one later because of the impairment. Drunk driving is drunk driving.