GUILTY NY - Lindsay Stewart & Mark Lennon, both 30, boat crash, Hudson River, 26 July 2013

[Blondie in Spokane]

"Hudson River boat crash bride's funeral to be at church where she was to marry"

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york...ts-lost-world-article-1.1412006#ixzz2aVAu5meU

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

'He just lost his whole world': Groom's parents tell of heartache as he prepares to bury fiancée killed in Hudson boating crash in church where they were due to marry"

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ting-accident-church-marry.html#ixzz2abX4wJTw

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-boat-crash-blames-dim-lights-barge-seen.html

"Stepfather of bride killed in Hudson River boat crash blames dim lights on the barge that nobody had seen"

"The stepfather of a bride-to-be killed in a boating accident on the Hudson River Friday night said no one aboard saw the construction barge near the Tappan Zee Bridge before crashing into it.
Walter Kosik said he spoke to his daughter's fiancé, Brian Bond, who told him all six people on the powerboat had their eyes on the river, but no one saw the barge's dim lights."

”More insight is set to be revealed as a prosecutor says cellphone video shot by one of the survivors shows the last few seconds before the vessel crashed."

 

[gm8549]

Blondie,I had read many articles that also said the lights on the barges were barely visible.

 

[kittycat3]

super sad to hear of this story. What a tragedy.

 

[Hejlena]

This is a very sad story, and the families are being very gracious. Several ari les say the barge lights were extremely dim, several articles also say however, that the barge lights were up to code. What's missing, though, is any substantive mention by the families that the driver of this boat was allegedly intoxicated. I commend them for not wanting to place blame and point fingers, but IMO all this focus on the barge lights being dim and all this lack of focus of the speedboat driver being drunk is really very very sad.

It is said the driver of the boat is devastated. I don't know what to say to that.

 

[Jessica2012]

My heart and my prayers go to everyone involved in this horrific tragedy.

The way that the media is portraying Jojo is completely false. He is a good guy and he would never put his friends in danger. The accident was as a result of the poorly lit barges. The entire community is supporting his innocence, because he is a kind person who would go out of his way for anyone. He was not drunk/intoxicated, their other friends on the boat (and all other evidence) confirmed this. With all due respect, the families are not just being gracious, they are supporting him because he is innocent. The authorities lit up the barges to be more visible AFTER the accident happened.

GOD BLESS everyone involved.

 

[kittycat3]

I'm guessing that since he is a friend of the victims they have simply decided to stay mum on the subject.

IMO the accident is a result of both things - drinking and poor visibility/lights. I don't think he intentionally killed anyone but made a careless mistake by getting in the drivers seat of a boat at night while drinking.

 

[defense101]

I'm guessing that since he is a friend of the victims they have simply decided to stay mum on the subject.

IMO the accident is a result of both things - drinking and poor visibility/lights. I don't think he intentionally killed anyone but made a careless mistake by getting in the drivers seat of a boat at night while drinking.

Does anyone believe that only the driver had drinks that night, they were all adults and made what I think was a wrong choice but to go out on the water at 10:30 at night, ridiculous even when not having had drinks. It is a sad thing that happened but I do not think the driver is the only one to take fault with that night. It was a dumb thing to do. IMO

 

[Jessica2012]

I'm guessing that since he is a friend of the victims they have simply decided to stay mum on the subject.

IMO the accident is a result of both things - drinking and poor visibility/lights. I don't think he intentionally killed anyone but made a careless mistake by getting in the drivers seat of a boat at night while drinking.

@kittycat- He is an AMAZING guy. No one is staying mum because he is their friend, obviously the truth will come out with the lab results right? The other friends even produced receipts from the dinner before the boat ride. There were four drinks ordered amongst six people.
He was not drunk, everyone on the boat confirms this point.
All of this is written respectfully. I know him, and the whole community is fighting for him.
Even the pictures of him that they decided to use, they don't even look like him-they want to portray him in a certain way, but it is all completely false.

 

[Hejlena]

My heart and my prayers go to everyone involved in this horrific tragedy.

The way that the media is portraying Jojo is completely false. He is a good guy and he would never put his friends in danger. The accident was as a result of the poorly lit barges. The entire community is supporting his innocence, because he is a kind person who would go out of his way for anyone. He was not drunk/intoxicated, their other friends on the boat (and all other evidence) confirmed this. With all due respect, the families are not just being gracious, they are supporting him because he is innocent. The authorities lit up the barges AFTER the accident happened.

GOD BLESS everyone involved.

Do you have a link that all evidence has been returned showing Mr John was not intoxicated on the night of the crash? I haven't seen that.

Also, I'm not quite understanding what you're saying about the barges being lit up by the authorities after the crash. Are you saying the lights were not on on the barges before the crash and that the police put lights on them after? Do you have a link for this information?


Mr Johns has a history of drug arrests and it has been reported in msm by people who knew him that he liked to "have a few" before driving his friends around in his speedboat. I dunno, great guy are not the words that come to mind. I'm sure he does feel bad, and I'm sure many do support him, but to gloss over the drinking and getting behind the wheel does no one any good.

http://www.ksdk.com/news/article/390211/28/Police-Driver-in-boat-crash-has-drug-arrest-history

Bond told Kosik that John's had a few drinks before driving the boat

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/07/3...doubt-booze-caused-ny-accident-instead-barge/

Barges may or may not have played a part. Driver's responsibility is to not be intoxicated. We'll never know what the outcome could have been had the driver of a speedboat, at night, with a crew full of passengers, been sober.

 

[kittycat3]

Jessica if he wasn't drunk then it will come out. I hope that is the case! If he had only had a drink or two then that should provide some (albeit not enough) consolation to all that he was aware as one could be of his surroundings. Maybe it was just poor visibility and lighting.

Re: lights, the coast guard said the barge was lit properly but after the accident put up additional lights as an extra precaution:

http://hudsonvalley.ynn.com/content...clues-to-determine-cause-of-fatal-boat-crash/

 

[kittycat3]

Oh and I agree with you defense101 - all were adults and made the choice to get in the boat at night and assumed risk in doing so. I don't think anyone driver or passengers thought such an accident could happen but unfortunately night time boat rides can be risky. I myself have been in a boat at night on the water and know first hand how difficult it can be to see. I wonder if anyone knows how fast the boat was going when it hit the barge?

 

[Jessica2012]

Jessica if he wasn't drunk then it will come out. I hope that is the case! If he had only had a drink or two then that should provide some (albeit not enough) consolation to all that he was aware as one could be of his surroundings. Maybe it was just poor visibility and lighting.

Re: lights, the coast guard said the barge was lit properly but after the accident put up additional lights as an extra precaution:

http://hudsonvalley.ynn.com/content...clues-to-determine-cause-of-fatal-boat-crash/

Thank you kittycat3 I go over that bridge every single day and at night, they were not visible at all last week,and now they are brightly lit.

 

[kittycat3]

Finally - yes Jessica, God's blessings to all involved. The driver will feel enough guilt for a lifetime, I'm sure. And so will the groom and others wondering what if they hadn't gotten into that boat....prayers for family and friends of all.

 

[MadamReporter]

Do you have a link that all evidence has been returned showing Mr John was not intoxicated on the night of the crash? I haven't seen that.

Do you have a link that all evidence has been returned showing Mr. John was intoxicated?

The fact that they lit the barges up brighter after the crash says to me that there is some validity to the argument of it being too dim.

Since we don't know for sure what Mr. John's blood has to tell us, let's not post as if we do.

 

[Jessica2012]

http://m.usatoday.com/article/news/2606171

 

[MadamReporter]

Do you have a link that all evidence has been returned showing Mr John was not intoxicated on the night of the crash? I haven't seen that.

Also, I'm not quite understanding what you're saying about the barges being lit up by the authorities after the crash. Are you saying the lights were not on on the barges before the crash and that the police put lights on them after? Do you have a link for this information?


Mr Johns has a history of drug arrests and it has been reported in msm by people who knew him that he liked to "have a few" before driving his friends around in his speedboat. I dunno, great guy are not the words that come to mind. I'm sure he does feel bad, and I'm sure many do support him, but to gloss over the drinking and getting behind the wheel does no one any good.

http://www.ksdk.com/news/article/390211/28/Police-Driver-in-boat-crash-has-drug-arrest-history

Bond told Kosik that John's had a few drinks before driving the boat

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/07/3...doubt-booze-caused-ny-accident-instead-barge/

Barges may or may not have played a part. Driver's responsibility is to not be intoxicated. We'll never know what the outcome could have been had the driver of a speedboat, at night, with a crew full of passengers, been sober.

Since the driver has not been charged with any DUI offenses and they haven't released his BAC, maybe you should reign your accusations in a bit.

I would think in a case like this where the City is most definitely going to be facing some civil lawsuits they would have been in damage-control overdrive reporting how many times over the legal limit he was IF, in fact, he was.

 

[Jessica2012]

Since the driver has not been charged with any DUI offenses and they haven't released his BAC, maybe you should reign your accusations in a bit.

I would think in a case like this where the City is most definitely going to be facing some civil lawsuits they would have been in damage-control overdrive reporting how many times over the legal limit he was IF, in fact, he was.

Thank you Madame Reporter you made such an awesome and true point!!!

 

[MadamReporter]

Thank you Madame Reporter you made such an awesome and true point!!!

The more I read on this the more obvious it's becoming that he was not over the legal limit. Seems like they keep floating the alcohol angle in every headline, but when you read the body of the article it's just vague references to what they "think" or "based on a blood test." To me, that says they obviously checked his blood and he definitely WASN'T <.08; had he been, they would have cuffed him and had him doing the perp walk across every television screen in the Tri-State area. You don't need to confer with the Prosecutor to charge someone with DUI, so my spidey sense is telling me that he wasn't drunk, and it's irresponsible and cruel to perpetuate the rumor that he was.