Stavinski Kills One, Injures three in Drunk driving accident | Page 3 | Golden Skate

Stavinski Kills One, Injures three in Drunk driving accident

Spun Silver said:
Often I do feel sorry for criminals in light of their wretched histories, but (am I mistaken about this?) Staviski is not a poor wretch but a golden boy. It sickened me to read that he's a poster boy for not drinking and driving.

Isn't driving drunk illegal precisely because it kills? That means drinking and driving is not just stupid but selfish - it takes other people's lives in one's hands knowing that they (hands) are incapable.

I'm not at all sorry that S. will have to live with remorse. Otherwise it would mean he had no conscience and there would be no justice. The more remorse, the better. How could there be too much remorse for taking a life? I just hope it's real, and doesn't ruin his ability to do good in the world. There is no contradiction between bitter remorse and resolute action or, to be more specific, ice skating.
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I am with you, Spun Silver. I also feel sorry for criminals who commit heinous crimes. People do not start out wanting to kill people, often they have life experiences that turn them into who they are. Let me rephrase that--they experience things in life, and then they have a choice of whether they will react to these experiences in a way that will benefit them and society (Dr Borlaug reacted to being born poor by creating a disease-resistant wheat, which resulted in feeding the hungry; Hitler reacted to his bad life experiences...well, we already know how he had reacted). I cannot say that I do not feel sorry for criminals, because, like I said, we did not come out of the womb wanting to kill.

That being said, I hope Maxim does something positive with this experience--perhaps speak out against drunken driving. The only reason why we heard about this particular accident was because Maxim is a famous figure in our microcosm of skating. Fatal drunk driving accidents happen EVERY day in every corner of the world. I hope Maxim responds to the remorse in a positive way--educating others about drunken driving, instead of responding to it in another way (most people who feel remorse often alienate those around them...).

I am not condoning what happened--one too many lives have been lost to drunken driving. I am just hoping that they can all make something positive out of this, which I believe with Maxim's popularity, he can.
 
Kwanford Wife said:
For me, its intent... Did I intend to maim and kill and enjoyed it or did I do something really stupid that has caused the death and / or suffering of others?
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There was an article in today's NYC newpaper about a woman who ran down a woman, her friend, and her daughter in a stroller. The stroller caught on to her auto and she carried it for three blocks with the baby in it which then fell out when she stopped. Baby is in critical condition; adults had to stay over in hospital.

The driver said she had drunk a bottle of vodva before getting into the car because her son upset her. She will use this for an excuse. No intent to knock a little baby out of a stroller while driving but what do you think of negligence?

Joe
 
I don't feel sorry for Staviski. He is a grown up man who knew that drink and driving is dangerous and can cause accidents and kill people. He knew it yet he did it. It was his choice to drink and drive. And I don't feel sorry that he will have to live with his remorse for the rest of his life. It was his choice afterall. He should have known better. In my book no forgiveness is allowed when someone's irresponsability ends up killing another.

What a shame, I really liked this team.
 
Joesitz said:
The driver said she had drunk a bottle of vodva before getting into the car because her son upset her. She will use this for an excuse. No intent to knock a little baby out of a stroller while driving but what do you think of negligence?
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From the description, the woman should be punished MORE than if she did this sober, but LESS than if she actually intended to kill/ hurt the people involved.
blue dog said:
That being said, I hope Maxim does something positive with this experience--perhaps speak out against drunken driving.
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Unfortunately, this is something he was doing already...
 
Mafke said:
...
Meanwhile, let's no condemn him on the basis of just one newspaper report (from a part of the world where newspapers are not always the most ... reliable).

Let's wait for legal proof before we start building bonfires.
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ITA!!! Anyone remember the Duke lacrosse team?
 
OMG!!!! I have to say I am deeply saddened for the loss of the guy and gril in the coma.

This will be very interesting in terms of what kind of punishment he will receive because Albena Denkova is not only his partner but also the head of the Bulgarian Federation.

They may not be able to compete next season or worse.

This is turning into a nightmare in the World of Figure Skating right before the season starts :cry:
 
I would be shocked if they ever returned to eligible skating - I would imagine the best they can hope for is a pro career, after some time has passed.

This is a tragedy of the worst kind. So many good people involved that certainly didn't deserve any of this. Wish I could wake up tomorrow and find it had all been a bad dream, a hoax, something...
 
Well, I've been thinking about this all day. I know that Max and Albena must be so devastated! Of course, he will pay consequences one way or another. I will be supportive of him and pray that he can come to terms with this. I hope that his fans will stand behind him, not his actions, but for Max the person!

Arianne
 
_Ladybug_ said:
I don't feel sorry for Staviski. He is a grown up man who knew that drink and driving is dangerous and can cause accidents and kill people. He knew it yet he did it. It was his choice to drink and drive. And I don't feel sorry that he will have to live with his remorse for the rest of his life. It was his choice afterall. He should have known better.

In my book no forgiveness is allowed when someone's irresponsability ends up killing another.

What a shame, I really liked this team.
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Although this later might prove to be a mechanical glitch with the car, he will have to live the rest of his life with the knowledge that he was involved in a fatal accident. I'm sure his remorse will be even greater if it was caused by his drinking & driving. I can only think that this is even excaberated by his being a spokesperson against drunk driving - but then again, people do not always understand that DUI is just as risky as DWI.

As for forgiveness, it's hard to move forward with one's life without forgiving, whether it be the offending party or yourself for giving the offense. Anger is the biggest roadblock to recovering. Based upon an Oprah episode, those that have been left behind after such tragedies (i.e. Columbine, drunk driving accidents, etc.) have only healed after learning how to forgive and by diverting their energy into a 'cause.' Forgiveness is not the same as forgetting.
 
"In my book no forgiveness is allowed when someone's irresponsability ends up killing another. " (quote from response above)

I think that this is a harsh statement. As a born again Christian, I know that God is capable of forgiving all sins. He even restored and used great men in the Bible who had killed people. We are all capable of doing things that are terrible. Just wait until someone you know is in this situation. There is NOTHING that is unforgivable. Especially when the person wants forgiveness and is remorseful. I am glad that God has forgiven my sins and paid the penalty of sin for those who believe in him.

People can change. This will change Max, and he will need help to make it in life now. It is also part of the healing process for the victim's and their families to forgive. We cannot expect that others will forgive or show mercy if we are unwilling to do this ourselves.

Arianne
 
Justlooking said:
The problem is that in some countries even if you not responsible for an accident, if you were drunk, you're considered guilty nevertheless.
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This is a "problem?"

It sounds like he will do some jail time to me. Not much and a lot of community service. IMO as well he should. That is almost three drinks over the line. Someone was not paying enough attention to what they were drinking and didn't take driving seriously enough to pay attention to what they were drinking.

Sorry if I sound harsh, I like these two, and it does not change how I feel about their skating. I do feel bad that they are just starting the married life, this is not a "good spring board." But driving ALONE is serious. And if one is drinking to a "buzz" and feel like driving is just fine they PROBABLY don't take it seriously enough in the first place. JMO and people make mistakes and forgiveness etc... Now if he did not know he had to drive later or thought they could leave 4-6 hours later than they accatuly did including a meal and water.... OK, I'd feel *semi* bad for him. Otherwise I hope he learned and can help others not make a similar mistake.
 
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What a lovely person you are, Arianne! Thank you for both of these posts. :clap:

It has been very saddening to me, today, reading of so much hatred. A man has made a big mistake; he certainly will be punished for it. A lot of what I read here and on FSU about this seems strange, though.

Some people claimed for a long time that they loved Maxim Staviski. Now, instead of hating his mistake, but still loving him, they seem to hate him.

Thank you again, Arianne, for putting things into the humane perspective so well.
 
I don't think there's a lot of "hatiing" Maxim Staviiski. I think it's more hating his poor judgment and reckless actions, which resulted in tragedy.
 
I dont understand feeling compassion for Maxim. I only feel compassion for the innocent people that were victimized by his foolish and careless actions. He seems like a good guy, and he probably is, but still what he did is inexcusable.
 
http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=83877

Bulgaria's world ice dancing champion Maxim Staviiski, who triggered a drunk-driving crash that killed one, was very disturbed and actively helped pull out the bodies of the passengers from the other cars, a witness said.
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According to witnesses the Russian-born Staviiski was not visibly drunk. A blood test, however, showed that Staviiski, who was not injured, was over the legal driving limit for alcohol.
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From www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=83877
"According to witnesses the Russian-born Staviiski was not visibly drunk. A blood test, however, showed that Staviiski, who was not injured, was over the legal driving limit for alcohol.
The Interior Ministry declined to specify the level of alcohol in his blood, but reports say it was 1.2 promiles. "

Okay, here's where my spidey sense starts tingling.

1. Yes, I know that some drinkers can maintain an appearance of sobriety while over the legal limit, yes, I know that great shock might make someone who is impaired seem sober briefly. Nevertheless ....

2. According to one online Bulgarian newspaper I was looking at (www.monitor.bg/article?sid=&aid=128811&cid=1&eid=1131) the blood level was 1.1 (1.1 в кръвта на Максим, or 1.1 in Maxim's blood) not a big difference but ... The whole thing is way beyond my limited ability to read (within the time I have available for such activities today) if anyone around here can read Bulgarian it would be great if they could keep us up to date. IME press in the local language is a lot more reliable than local reports in English.

Does anyone here know how transparent the blood testing would be done in Bulgaria, would it be done by police, medical people unaffiliated with the police? Both?

And finally.... (trying to be very careful and diplomatic) does anyone know how trustworthy the police in Bulgaria are? It's not hard for me to imagine corrupt local officials (in the US) seeing a celebrity in an accident as an extra payday.

I'm trying to stay as neutral (and fair) as possible here, the most economical (and most probable) answer is that he was driving while over the local legal limit. But that's not the _only_ possibility and I want to explore other possibilities as well.
 
Thank you, Joe, for bringing up the Oda situation. I found it very interesting what a large percentage of sympathetic posts there were in the thread about Oda, yet on this one there seem to be a majority of posts along the line of what I would have expected re. Oda.

So -- does the impaired driver actually have to kill someone before we get irate about driving drunk??
 
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