Florida Woman Run Down by Drunk Driver While Jogging with Dog - And a Twist...

[BigSkyGLI]

SARASOTA, Fla. -- A 53-year-old Sarasota woman was hit and killed by a drunk driver, according to Florida Highway Patrol troopers.

It happened Saturday afternoon when troopers say Blake C. Talman, 22, was fleeing from another crash scene.

Talman reportedly lost control of his Nissan Altima on State Road 758 north of Glebe Lane when troopers say he struck Donna L. Chen as she was walking her dog on a sidewalk.

According to authorities, the dog was also hit, and it ran away from the scene.

After the collision, Talman's vehicle also hit landscaping, a street sign, and several wooden poles at the entrance of St. Michael's Archangel Catholic Church.

Meantime, a second vehicle had stopped to avoid Talman's vehicle, but that didn't stop the two cars from coming into contact.

That second driver, an 18-year-old woman, sustained minor injuries.

According to FHP reports, Talman's vehicle also hit a telephone pole before coming to a stop.

Both Talman and his passenger, a 24-year-old man, sustained serious injuries and were transported to Sarasota Memorial Hospital.

Investigators say Talman, of Bradenton, faces charges including DUI manslaughter and DUI property damage and personal injury.

Sunday morning, the hospital reported that Talman and the passenger had been discharged.

Talman is currently booked into the Sarasota County Jail.

During his first appearance before a judge, Talman's total bond was set at $100,000. Talman appeared to be very upset, and his attorney revealed that Talman is an expectant father.



Read more: http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/state/d...#ixzz1j99e8LkA

Then, this video is captured of the hurt and confused dog which ran from the accident scene and for some reason began to swim into the ocean nearby.

The kayaker obviously didn't know what had happened and kindly did his best to help the dog and find the owner. The video was posted to Youtube before he knew what had happened to Mrs. Chen.

[nickkwhitt]

Very sad story. What's even crazier is that same day 2 other people were hit by cars and killed in the same town. We need to stop giving out licenses to just any dumbass that walks in.

[HaterSlayer]

Aww, that's sad

[mx5er]

Good thing the guy reeled his line in as soon as he saw the dog swim towards him. The last thing you want is a fish hook lodged in the dog.

[Surf Green]

Poor Visla. They should let him bite the douchebag who hit them,

[nfx]

Very sad story. What's even crazier is that same day 2 other people were hit by cars and killed in the same town. We need to stop giving out licenses to just any dumbass that walks in.

that's the truth everywhere. i've literally heard people ask "which one is the brake again... the left one or the right one?"

[Chmeeee]

During his first appearance before a judge, Talman's total bond was set at $100,000. Talman appeared to be very upset, and his attorney revealed that Talman is an expectant father.

Somebody won't be seeing his kid for a long time (hopefully).

[bro_brah]

That's nuts

[Old Windy]

During his first appearance before a judge, Talman's total bond was set at $100,000. Talman appeared to be very upset, and his attorney revealed that Talman is an expectant father.


Why is it that when something terrible is done by people acting like this, as soon as their actions caught up with them they happen to remember this.
He should had remembered that when he was thinking of doing this. Sometimes I think there should be a drivers license renewal test every few years (IIRC doctors and or other professionals have to keep themselves certified by taking courses and what not) Even if it I may be affected in the long run, why not do this with driving licenses? Just an idea.

[bro_brah]

During his first appearance before a judge, Talman's total bond was set at $100,000. Talman appeared to be very upset, and his attorney revealed that Talman is an expectant father.


Why is it that when something terrible is done by people acting like this, as soon as their actions caught up with them they happen to remember this.
He should had remembered that when he was thinking of doing this. Sometimes I think there should be a drivers license renewal test every few years (IIRC doctors and or other professionals have to keep themselves certified by taking courses and what not) Even if it I may be affected in the long run, why not do this with driving licenses? Just an idea.

Because morons will still get behind the wheel and drive regardless as to if they have a license or not.

[flat6guy]

[nickkwhitt]

[QUOTE= Sometimes I think there should be a drivers license renewal test every few years (IIRC doctors and or other professionals have to keep themselves certified by taking courses and what not) Even if it I may be affected in the long run, why not do this with driving licenses? :[/QUOTE]

I completely agree. I feel this way everyday from November through March when every jackass is on vacation driving around FL.

[Deserion]

Ugh, that's terrible.

[Chmeeee]

Sometimes I think there should be a drivers license renewal test every few years (IIRC doctors and or other professionals have to keep themselves certified by taking courses and what not) Even if it I may be affected in the long run, why not do this with driving licenses? Just an idea.

Not that I necessarily disagree with this idea, what would it have to do with this situation?

[Dr. Woo]

I completely agree. I feel this way everyday from November through March when every jackass is on vacation driving around FL.

You live in Florida and deal with Florida drivers every day and you're complaining about people from out of town?

[MCTB]

Poor Visla. They should let him bite the douchebag who hit them,

Yeah, my sister has one. Theyre great dogs and actually pretty smart (or at least hers is). Theyre all skin and muscle. Danger, the name of hers, is a trained bird dog and will run after a bird forever if you let him.


Im glad this guy found the pup and rescued it from the water. I hate drunk drivers. Throw his ass in jail and lose the key. Theres no excuse for it.

[nickkwhitt]

You live in Florida and deal with Florida drivers every day and you're complaining about people from out of town?

Yes. I will admit FL probably has the worst drivers in the US but when you have to deal with the steroid induced father in his honda odyssey and 7 kids and wife in the back screaming at you, it kinda gets old. Or the 97 year old that is trying to drive with their oxygen tank.

[SeatIbiza1.8T]

I hadn´t been in the USA in three years, just spent 10 days in Florida...

Drivers are waaaaay worse... A lot of women seem to be hooked to their cell phone or texting, too busy to use their signals or keep proper distance on the highway.

Absurd amount of bad drivers in bro-dozers... Everyone passing on the right. I saw way too many bad drivers.

[Turbio!]

Sometimes I think there should be a drivers license renewal test every few years (IIRC doctors and or other professionals have to keep themselves certified by taking courses and what not) Even if it I may be affected in the long run, why not do this with driving licenses? Just an idea.

Wouldn't do ****. Penalties don't deter DUIs, neither does licensing. This tool would have showed up, done fine on the renewal test, and killed the woman six months later.

This is what MADD and the politicians and so forth always miss. Driving drunk is, by definition, done with impaired judgment. Drunk people are less able to assess risk than sober people. So it doesn't matter if you make DUI punishments punitive or not, they'll do it anyway because they're not thinking about that when they get behind the wheel. Either that, or they're blowing a 0.08 and feel fine.

[91gti20v]

Yes. I will admit FL probably has the worst drivers in the US but when you have to deal with the steroid induced father in his honda odyssey and 7 kids and wife in the back screaming at you, it kinda gets old. Or the 97 year old that is trying to drive with their oxygen tank.

x2

I grew up in Florida and thanks to my job have now driven all over the US and many parts of Europe. Florida drivers rank up there with the worst I have experienced. Every area has it quirks, but Florida drivers are just terrible. Discourteous, poor driving skills, perpetually lost... Need I go on?!?

[Dawg Dee-Lux]

Sad story - dogs tend to remember these things.

On a side note, as I embedded this link on FB, that noose was briefly previewed as a thumb - not good!

[Time for a GTI]

Watching that dog while knowing what it just went through is heart wrenching.

[Air and water do mix]

Poor Visla. They should let him eat the douchebag who hit them,

fixed.

What a sad story. It's one thing to off yourself doing something so stupid. It's quite another to kill someone else.

[BigSkyGLI]

Watching that dog while knowing what it just went through is heart wrenching.

x2

To be honest in cases like this I find myself feeling worse for the animals than the people. Luckily he/she was saved though. I bet it wasn't going to be able to swim for much longer.

[t_white]

x2

To be honest in cases like this I find myself feeling worse for the animals than the people. Luckily he/she was saved though. I bet it wasn't going to be able to swim for much longer.

I was thinking the exact same thing.

[simple]

Read about the dog and the accident this morning in the paper. I just couldn't believe the dog took to the water to escape. Just sad

I can't believe there is a video of the fisherman!!!

Thanks for posting this.

[brad@fifteen52]

You live in Florida and deal with Florida drivers every day and you're complaining about people from out of town?

Oh yes, indeed. I live in Sarasota and there is a huge difference between the summertime driving environment and what it's like right now.

A congestion increase alone adds an extra level of danger, but when almost 100% of that extra congestion consists of drivers unfamiliar with the area (or even the country), well, you don't really need to study actuarial tables to know that the odds of something bad happening increase exponentially.

[Deserion]

Oh yes, indeed. I live in Sarasota and there is a huge difference between the summertime driving environment and what it's like right now.

A congestion increase alone adds an extra level of danger, but when almost 100% of that extra congestion consists of drivers unfamiliar with the area (or even the country), well, you don't really need to study actuarial tables to know that the odds of something bad happening increase exponentially.

Agreed.

I was in Sarasota last August, and there were quite a few times people nearly crashed into me because they were not looking or were distracted. Thankfully I remembered my way around from prior trips (as a kid).

[dieselraver]

really sad if you ask me...

[GahannaKid]

Wouldn't do ****. Penalties don't deter DUIs, neither does licensing. This tool would have showed up, done fine on the renewal test, and killed the woman six months later.

This is what MADD and the politicians and so forth always miss. Driving drunk is, by definition, done with impaired judgment. Drunk people are less able to assess risk than sober people. So it doesn't matter if you make DUI punishments punitive or not, they'll do it anyway because they're not thinking about that when they get behind the wheel. Either that, or they're blowing a 0.08 and feel fine.

Ding ding ding! We have a winner here ladies & gents.

I agree that we should have license renewal programs but unfortunately it wouldn't have stopped this. For drunk drivers we need a way for those who go out drinking to safely get home for a nominal fee. This guy was obviously drunk beyond belief and if he was drinking with friends they should have never let him leave like that. The guy gets whatever is coming to him but we can't let blind hatred drive us to make irrational decisions and laws. We need to find a solution that would stop the problem, not a solution that will make us profit off it.

[Old Windy]

Agreed penalties alone might not be able to stop them. My point was based under my desire that maybe under continued testing or certification common sense may kick in and or be trained into. Then again like I said common sense training.
Just hoping justice is served on this one.

[someguy123]

Off topic: I want a kayak like that with the pedal action.

On topic: That poor dog.

[choochoo]

for the kayaker for doing the right thing
such a sad story and the video was hard to watch knowing the dog's owner is dead.
and... yeah, there's really no excuse for drunk driving.... unfortunately, people do it all the time and will continue to do it....

[KC Jazz]

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001059294900

[choochoo]

http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/new...fatal-accident

Police told Chen, the alleged drunk driver, was traveling at least 90 miles per hour and likely missed hitting Barney by inches. Barney and Donna had been on a busy state road and had been at a turn.

hopefully, the lady didn't suffer too much.