[husker boxster]

My apologies and condolences to the parents and families. May you find comfort in your loss.

I would have a different emotion towards these young men if the situation would have had them enjoying a nice drive and were T-boned by someone who ran a red light or a drunk driver crossed the median and ran head-on into them. That would be senseless and random and very hard to understand. But that’s not the situation. Details are sketchy but we do know their vehicle flew a substantial distance through the air and landed in the 2nd floor of a building. No matter what the circumstances were to cause this, ultimately the driver was responsible and made this happen. He was the reason for this crash. Sure, you can blame it on youth or hubris or being indestructible or video games or anything else, but at some point prior to the accident survival instincts should have kicked in and they should have determined it was too dangerous and shut it down. Unless the throttle was stuck wide open, this tragedy did not have to happen. It wasn’t random. It was because of someone’s carelessness.

My parents instilled a belief in me about personal responsibility that I firmly am committed to today (I’m 60). You make decisions and are responsible for the outcomes of those decisions. There were decisions made by these young men and they paid the ultimate price. Better decisions would have gotten these two to breakfast that morning. Did their choice warrant my comment? No, but I made it and can’t take it back. Not a good decision on my part. It takes a lifetime to build a reputation and 5 seconds to tear it down.