An Emporia man was taken to the Lyon County Jail early Sunday morning after his vehicle became lodged between two sets of railroad tracks near Road 160 and Road T and was struck by a train.
Matthew Brinkman, 20, 220 South Commercial St., saw the train coming and ran from the vehicle before the crash, according to information from the Lyon County Sheriff’s office.
He was taken to jail on charges of driving under the influence of an intoxicant, minor in consumption of alcohol, driving with an expired driver’s license, having no liability insurance, failure to report an accident, leaving the scene of an accident and trespassing on railroad right-of-way.
create (anonymous) says...
This kid needs help. He's so young. I'm afraid that with all these charges, putting him on any kind of probation won't help. He needs some serious jail time where there is some treatment for alcoholism. Sadly, everyday in Iraq, our twenty-somethings are being killed and here's this kid throwing his life away inside the bottle. Damn!
September 18, 2007 at 2:03 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
MelissaE (anonymous) says...
create, I'm sure you mean well but have you ever spent any time in a county jail?
I ask because, presently, I practice criminal defense. Jails are the last place that a child like this will find help. They just are not funded to provide "treatment for alcoholism".
This child probably needs a rehab facility along with counseling for suicide.
M
September 18, 2007 at 2:25 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
KristieR (anonymous) says...
I agree with Mel - He needs help, not incarceration. I hope no one (on the train) was injured in the crash. There are too many young people (and I was one of them) who think that drinking and driving is only a problem if you get caught or hurt someone. This is his wake-up call and I hope he hears it.
September 18, 2007 at 4:19 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
hartford (anonymous) says...
I agree, he does need help. I personally know this kid and his parents. This young man has had a problem with drinking for awhile now. He is a great kid, he has a good heart. I am so greatful that he didn't kill himself or anyone else while driving intoxicated; this time. I am unsure on what needs to be done. Jail time may help him. I understand what Melissa is saying, but maybe that will open his eyes to what lies ahead. I wish there was an easy answer. Lets all be thankful this story didn't end in someone getting killed.
September 18, 2007 at 5:21 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
I agree with hartford, Melissa, and I also agree with you that he needs some kind of rehab. But this kid is not going to go to rehab by himself, or he would have gone long ago, and I do mean years. It's going to take a judge and a sentence. A short bit of jail time may wake him up long enough to realize that he does need to get some help. His actions threatened the lives of the people on that train. Let's not forget that.
September 18, 2007 at 7:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Kelonia (anonymous) says...
>
Hello??? His vehicle got STUCK!!!!!! Duh! If your vehicle is stuck on railroad tracks and you see a train coming you'd be pretty stupid not to get out of your car and run.
However, I agree with the rest of what you said. He does need a wake up call of some sort and if it takes a judge to send him to rehab (not jail at this point) then so be it.
I have to say when I read the article I was shocked to see he was taken to jail until I got to the final paragraph.
Yeah, he should definitely face charges, but I think rehab is the better option at this point.
September 18, 2007 at 8:18 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jackslap (anonymous) says...
We have all had our head planted firmly in the backside in the younger days. At least no one was hurt!
September 19, 2007 at 2:57 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
KristieR (anonymous) says...
Alcholism is a disease that needs treatment. Is he a young kid who made BAD decisions or is he a chronic user that needs treatment? There is a big difference and it's important that someone (judge) makes the right decision on what an appropriate sentence is before he hurts someone else.
September 19, 2007 at 3:27 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
Jackslap: "We have all had our head planted firmly in the backside in the younger days. At least no one was hurt!"
Sorry Jackslap, but this kind of thinking is where some of the problem lies. Too many are willing to just chalk it up to youthful indiscretion. Does that make it any less serious? At what age shall we hold young people responsible for making intelligent decisions about drinking? 7th grade? 9th? 11th? You may or may not be surprised, but lots of kids are doing quite a bit of drinking at those ages. Irresponsibility begins there. Then a kid turns 20 and is drinking heavier than ever, unable to control the habit.
This wasn't a one-time situation for this kid. On top of that, he was driving on an expired driver's license and had no insurance. I'm sure his license and insurance didn't expire earlier that day. Shall we chalk that up to youthful indiscretion too? No way. He made a conscious decision to drive that car knowing he had no license, no insurance, no right to be behind that wheel in his condition. This can only mean one thing, and trebuchet said it in an earlier post-- this kid is "selfish and irresponsible." He may have been on a railroad right-of-way this time, but what about next time? What if he kills my grandchild? Or your son or daughter or wife or husband? Sorry, I can't give this kid a pass.
September 19, 2007 at 7:37 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jackslap (anonymous) says...
I agree with your last part Kstrebuchet. People still do that, a couple of drinks and off you go..... But then you get the closet drinkers, and or tea totalers like above that think it is all a problem. Its people like you that need to get out and have a drink and get into the real world. Yes some people do have problems, but at that age it is the head in rectal syndrome. At that age everyone thinks they are 10 foot tall and bullet proof. Look at all the click clicks driving around town not knowing what they are doing in an automobile.... Someone that is impaired drives better then them.
September 20, 2007 at 1:58 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
Jackslap: "But then you get the closet drinkers, and or tea totalers like above that think it is all a problem."
Were you referring to me, Jackslap? I don't remember saying that I was a tea totaler. Not once. What gave you the idea that I was? Because I'm against young kids drinking? And driving? Or anybody drinking and driving period? I didn't say "it is all a problem." The problem comes when people downplay the seriousness of young kids drinking and driving. The problem comes when people say, like you did, "at least nobody got hurt."
I do my share of drinking, but I do it responsibly, and certainly not daily. I'm not a heavy drinker because I grew up with a mother that did too damn much drinking. I've seen my share of what alcoholism can do. In fact. ten years ago, my sister climbed into her pickup after one too many scotch and sodas and got into a head-on collision. The other driver, the mother of three and grandmother of 2, was killed instantly. My sister was charged with vehicular homicide. She spent 5 years in prison for that, and she is still on probation which includes AA meetings until the end of this year. She lost her driver's license FOREVER because she lives in a state that has zero tolerance for alcohol related traffic deaths. She is now a felon. I don't have a problem with any of that. She knew better than to get behind the wheel of that pickup.
So don't presume that I am a tea totaler who thinks everything is a problem. EVERYTHING is not a problem, but some specific instances are a problem.I don't have a problem with people who want to drink as long as they do so responsibly. Key word: responsibly. I know what I'm talking about while all you did was trivialize the situation involving the 20-year-old kid who got stuck on the tracks.
September 20, 2007 at 3:05 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )