Let's Blame EVERYONE Else, Shall We?

The death of St. Louis Cardinals Pitcher Josh Hancock in an alcohol-related traffic accident last month really was a tragedy. But the lawsuits filed by his family afterwards have taken this beyond the ridiculous to the absurd.

Yesterday it was reported in SI.Com that Hancock's father, on behalf of Hancock's estate, has chosen to sue the restaurant/bar that continued to serve Hancock alcohol for over 3.5 hours. OK, that seems somewhat understandable--bars have a legal responsibility to not serve inebriated patrons.

But that's only the beginning. The lawsuit also names the towing company whose flatbed truck Hancock plowed into, the tow truck driver, and the poor hapless motorist who was unlucky enough to be working with the tow truck, after having stalled out because he was cut off by another vehicle.

This is IN SPITE of the fact that Hancock's blood alcohol was twice the legal limit, he was speeding, he was using a cell phone during the accident,  he was not wearing a seatbelt, and marijuana was found in the vehicle.

I'm sort of surprised the lawsuit didn't include cell phone manufacturers, the transportation department for the state of Missouri  for building such a poorly designed freeway, and perhaps the Columbian drug cartel for their role in providing illegal recreational drugs. But I'm sure all these parties--and more--can be added later. (And what about the estate of Abner Doubleday for inventing baseball, without which none of this would have happened?)

It's one thing to turn to the justice system for relief when one has been wronged, but in this case it appears that the one individual who was at fault, Hancock, suffered the ultimate consequence for a series of really bad judgments. It's a free country and adults should take responsibility for their actions. Nowhere has it been reported that someone put a gun to Hancock's head and forced him to consume large amounts of alcohol, drive, speed, be distracted and use illicit drugs--all without buckling his seat belt.

Rather than blame everyone else, when something goes wrong, let's put the blame where it belongs--with the person whose actions led to the series of events in question. Seems pretty sensible to me.