Deadly Affluenza

"We had over 180 years of life taken, future life not 180 years lived, but 180 years of future life taken and two of those were my wife and daughter."
"Money always seems to keep Ethan out of trouble. This was one time I did ask the court, that for justice, for money not to prevail and ultimately today I felt like money did prevail."
Eric Boyles, Fort Worth, Texas

Ethan Couch (screen shot)

 "The teen never learned to say that you're sorry if you hurt someone. If you hurt someone, you sent him money."Dr. G. Dick Miller, psychologist

Who might have predicted the dreadful occurrence that would take four lives  on an otherwise-pleasant enough June 16, 2013 evening. When a mother and daughter, Hollie Boyles, 52 and Shelby Boyles, 21, stopped on a dark country road south of Fort Worth to give aid to 24-year-old Breanna Mitchell whose SUV had broken down. Youth pastor, 42-year-old Brian Jennings, had the same idea, as he too pulled over to determine what he could do to be of assistance.

High on Valium and alcohol, the pickup truck driven by 16-year-old Ethan Couch plowed straight into the group at a speed estimated to have been 112 kilometres per hour. Aside from the four killed outright, there was an additional eleven people injured, several severely. Two of Ethan Couch's friends were in his truck with him. They were thrown from the truck on impact, and left in a paralyzed condition as a token of that memorable evening.

Ethan Couch and his friends had been out drinking, having a good time partying, that evening. They were on a mission to continue their partying. Drunk from the beer they had stolen from Walmart they were on the prowl to find more alcohol, somewhere. Ethan Couch had no idea what discipline meant; he was never taught to discipline himself and was never disciplined by his doting parents.

He lived a lifestyle quite out of the ordinary. Never being held accountable for anything he did. Never chastised and led by his loving parents to adopt and understand a core group of social values. There was no scarcity of money available, and whatever he wanted he was able to have without question. According to Dr. Miller, hired by the defence, the young man abused alcohol and was given "freedoms no young person should have."

He was permitted to drive at age 13. And he obviously felt there was nothing wrong, troubling, or immoral, let alone illegal about driving while under the influence of alcohol. Clearly, social and legal constraints might apply to most people, but certainly not him; he was immune to restraints of any kind. According to Dr. Miller, Ethan Couch was a victim of a rich-kid syndrome leading him to believe he could buy himself out of any situation.

And it appears he may be right. His sentencing was ten years' probation. He might have been given a 20-year jail term for his actions and their irremediable results impacting so horribly on the lives of other people, depriving four outright of life itself, and another eleven of their quality of future life. State District Judge Jean Boyd accepted that Ethan Couch was a 'victim' of "affluenza".

Not his fault he was never taught, either directly through careful counselling by responsible parents, or by the lifestyle example of self-disciplined parents that there are accountable consequences to one's decision-making and judgements. His parents are prepared to pay out $450,000 in costs to send their son for mandatory therapy.

They are continuing their life-lessons for their son. Buying him the opportunity to remain free from responsibility for his actions.

The vehicle he was driving that night hit a parked car, and it was sent into a Volkswagen Beetle driving in the opposite direction. People unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. The parents of Ethan Couch are wealthy owners of a metal roofing company. Their future includes five lawsuits from families of his victims, claiming millions in damages.

Perhaps it is too much to hope that this litigious future will send these people into bankruptcy. If meting out justice in a court of law is too onerous to contemplate, leaving the victims fuming at the lack of justice, perhaps Dame Fortune has a plan of her own, for justice should demand that the parents of this conscienceless young man face the consequences of their dreadful parenting.