i-495 crash

Some time has passed and I know my emotions have settled down a bit. I know that Seth as well as these women involved will be affected for life. I truly hope Seth chooses to get on with his life after his sentence and not let it ruin him. He may not be able to follow the path he wanted but he can choose another path that may be of great use to other young people out there who don't believe it could happen to them. I pray that he finds peace and forgives himself. He is young and has the whole rest of his life to live. I truly hope he realizes this is not the end of the world, it is a painful period, but it will pass and he can still go on and do great things. I pray God keeps him safe, I would HATE it if it were my child. Peace to everyone involved.

You people didnt know seth so you shouldnt be talking. Sure what he did was wrong but hes no criminal. He was a college student with nearly straight A's. Now hes in jail. Some day it may be your kid who makes a stupid decision and it ruins his life and ill tell you how evil he was and that he should rot in jail.

Truth wrote:

You people didnt know seth so you shouldnt be talking. Sure what he did was wrong but hes no criminal. He was a college student with nearly straight A's. Now hes in jail. Some day it may be your kid who makes a stupid decision and it ruins his life and ill tell you how evil he was and that he should rot in jail.

what the...

obviously, he IS a criminal. He was convicted of a CRIME.

it was his CHOICE to drink and drive recklessly. HE needs to live with the consequences of that; jail time and public condemnation and criticism.

you don't have to like it; but, that is just the way it is.

suck it up!

To the victims and their families- you have my highest level of condolences. I come from a very close knit family and I can't imagine the pain you have all been through. Had you been one of my family members, I would be flooded with rage and I would wish the worst upon Seth for doing this to you. But things are put into perspective for those of us who know Seth.
To the rest of you who feel the need to comment: I'm not going to defend the decisions he has made, but I will say that he is misunderstood. You've all read about the great kid that he is, whether or not you want to believe it is completely irrelevent here. I don't see how any solitary person can say that he is leading the life of a normal kid. Do you know anything about his life? No, in fact you do not. This is something he will punish himself for, for the rest of eternity. By no stretch of the imagination will his punishment ever add up to what the victims went through- we all know this. Now that I have stated the obvious, I hope all of you can sleep better at night.
It is hard to believe that the only people being rational about the matter are those who were in the accident. They must be great people, with great hearts, and an unbelievable capacity to forgive. Learn something from them.
For everyone who wishes bad things upon Seth, for instance becoming a "boyfriend" in jail: I hope you're young and still have time to grow up. If not I am truely embarrassed for you. You may be able to guarantee that you will never make a mistake like his- but someday, you will have children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews. If the day comes when one of them makes a horrible mistake, rest assure you will be whistling a different tune.
If you are not directly affected by this tragic accident, but feel the need to voice your opinion-get off your computer and go to your best friend's house. Venting to a real person is more therapeutic than arguing through a computer screen.

I would first like to start off by wishing those involved a quick and full recovery. I don't believe in Seth's actions being right but there are many people seem to portray him to be in the these comments is just wrong. I know that Seth wakes up every day thinking about his actions, wishing they had never occurred and I'm sure that the victims do too. I've known Seth for sometime now and I would just like to put it out there he didn't have the intentions of "torpedoing" the car, it was a mistake that he will have to live with forever. I do certainly agree that Seth's action can't go unpunished, but what ever happened to making people give back. Why not let him speak to others about the experience teach our youth about the hazards of getting behind the wheel after drinking?
Now for those who precede him to be a "bum", I wish you got just one day to spend with him and really know the person he is. Seth was in no way out for blood, it was just the wrong decision. He is role model, Seth as a Merit Scholar at the University of Connecticut and was on his to graduating early. He had a very bright path in front of him, and still does. If you know him like I do he will not let this situation get to him and only good will come out of this. And to the person who hopes Seth will find a "boyfriend" during is stay is just wrong and immature. I truly hope your not a parent and if this is what your children have to look to I'm saddened for there sake. Maybe it is you who needs to grow up.
Seth is sorry for his actions. I know he wants to apologize to the victims but it isn't up to him, the court has the last word and he was not allowed any contact with the victims.
My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and the Lattrell family for all they've had to go through. I know Seth will stay strong and will only become an even better person.

As a relative of one of the victims, I can attest that they are all great people. They are young women, wives and mothers, who have been friends for many years. As wives and mothers, they realize that people make mistakes, and wish no bad things for Seth Latrell. We all pray that he understands the lasting impact of a very bad decision, and that all of the families involved can go forward, thankful that the husbands and children of the victims have the most important people in their lives to cherish even more than before.

Truth wrote:

You people didnt know seth so you shouldnt be talking. Sure what he did was wrong but hes no criminal. He was a college student with nearly straight A's. Now hes in jail. Some day it may be your kid who makes a stupid decision and it ruins his life and ill tell you how evil he was and that he should rot in jail.

"criminals" aren't all like cartoon villains. Many people are justly in prison for stupid things they did when drunk, high, angry, etc. They made bad choices that caused harm to others. Two points:
1. They need to feel consequences from their bad choices to help them understand where they went wrong and change. Look at how many drunk driving cases these days involve multiple repeat offenders. They all started off with clean records, and many of them are wonderful people when they aren't drunk and behind the wheel. If your friend was heading down this road, he needs time to work out his issues.
2. Sentences aren't just about the individual who committed the crime. They also teach others by example why they need to avoid doing the same thing. If what happened to this young man prevents one drunk driving accident, it was worth locking him up just for that.

Does anyone know the final outcome of the sentencing?

I went to highschool with Seth at central..and to be honest he should serve 6 months..maybe a year.thats it..

Kids drink and drive all the time..Hell i have..if i got caught and hurt someone...i would be a man own up and plead guilty..if i hurt someone i wouldnt even think of blaming them..hes a coward..thats all there is to it

he is going to end up at billerica and get out in 3 months for good behavior..thats summer camp come on..

and by some of you people's reasoning maybe murderers shouldn't have to go to jail if they change..since only they can decide to change..maybe if they change right away whats the point of jail..i know i want rapists and murderers on the street

come on people..the reason for the courts are to defend the victim..why dont you think like it happened to you

He is in Billerica House of correction. He was sentenced to 18 months and will probably serve 9. He will be out this Fall. Time for ALL involved to put it in the past and move forward!

I just met this young man today, he spoke to my drivers ed class. The remorse this young man has is unremarkable. He wishes he could, in person, appoligize to the women he injured, but he is NOT allowed any contact with them. Understandably! He spent 9mths in jail, is on probation for 5yrs and is subject to random drug/alcohol testing. He will probably not be able to drive again for another 8yrs. Now at 21, he is trying to continue on with his life and carry the burden of knowing how much he's hurt many, many people involved, the lives of the women, their families as well as his own. He is so gratful that no one was killed. He's gratful that these women have recovered, he knows the pain he caused. I listened to his story and he made me cry, because of the pain he caused people. I believe he will do good with his life.

trying to be fair wrote:

Judy
"It was an accident, but one he caused."
Just what do you feel is a fair sentence for this twenty years?
Is this about revenge or justice?

Yes, I'd like to see 20 years. No matter what happens a lifetime loss of license is in order.

The end wrote:

He is in Billerica House of correction. He was sentenced to 18 months and will probably serve 9. He will be out this Fall. Time for ALL involved to put it in the past and move forward!

Who are you to say "put it in the past" ?

I wish he got 20 years.

I'm sick of idiots on the road. Cars are worse than guns in this state.

Ron wrote:

<quoted text>
Who are you to say "put it in the past" ?
I wish he got 20 years.
I'm sick of idiots on the road. Cars are worse than guns in this state.

Who am I? I am a victim of this accident. I think that gives me the right to say it's time to put it in the past. We have been through hell and back in the last 2 1/2 years. It's time for peace!

Nanny1 wrote:

I just met this young man today, he spoke to my drivers ed class. The remorse this young man has is unremarkable. He wishes he could, in person, appoligize to the women he injured, but he is NOT allowed any contact with them. Understandably! He spent 9mths in jail, is on probation for 5yrs and is subject to random drug/alcohol testing. He will probably not be able to drive again for another 8yrs. Now at 21, he is trying to continue on with his life and carry the burden of knowing how much he's hurt many, many people involved, the lives of the women, their families as well as his own. He is so gratful that no one was killed. He's gratful that these women have recovered, he knows the pain he caused. I listened to his story and he made me cry, because of the pain he caused people. I believe he will do good with his life.

As one of the victims in this accident, I am happy to hear that he is following through with his plans of reaching out to others. I am also glad that he feels remorse. Did he show pictures of the accident? I think that the photos of the wreckage and destruction would also hit home to teens just learning to drive. Although we have recovered as well as we will, we ALL have chronic physical pain and emotional distress that will never heal. I do hope that he continues to spread the danger to others and that it will help someone else make a safe choice. Drinking and driving is NEVER ok!

most of you dont even know seth. he is a great kid and is fully and completely sorrowful and regretful for his actions