Thinking Like A Lawyer

Questions

1. Where did the child get their alcohol from?

2. Who was aware that they were consuming alcohol under age?

3. Is there any background history where the family has had similar problems?

4. How long have they been drinking for?

Website

1)      http://alcoholism.about.com/od/binge/a/teen_death.html

This article is about a 16 year old girl by the name of Julia Gonzales. This incident occurred in 2008 and the girl was found deceased at Pedretti Park in Turlock, California. She was found by a person just passing by and the reason of her death has puzzled both the media and the public for three months. Nobody knew the cause of her death but it was found out when her toxicology report came in. At the time of her death, her toxicology report was at 0.52. This is an incredibly high blood content level and is equivalent to 16 drinks in one hour. For a girl like Julia, being 5 feet 2 inches and only 100 pounds, this turned out to be devastating. Her body couldn't handle all the alcohol and doctors predict that she suffered from acute alcohol poisoning.  

It was said that no one called the police after her disappearance on the day of her death. She had been out of the house starting at 7 p.m. and was then found at 5 a.m. the next morning. The article also states that she was with her friends but they had then ditched her and she was by herself which was how she was found in the morning. What confuses me is why her friends weren't with her, why no one called the police, and why her parents weren't concerned about her whereabouts. No fingers are being pointed at anyone else because I believe that she is to be blamed for what she did to herself but I am just confused as to why no one cared about her and the things she did so late at night. There should have been someone with her and monitoring her actions throughout that period because even if she didn't drink and then die, there are still other dangers out there that could have led to her death or another tragedy of some sort. If I were out that late, I would have calls every hour asking where I was and when I was going to come back home. This same situation might not apply because of the lack of information on the relationship her and her parents had. She was also 16, which is a relatively young age to start drinking and the possibly "care-free" relationship she has with her parents could have potentially influenced her actions or made her think that it was okay.

2) http://www.thespec.com/news/local/article/670637--teen-died-after-party-house-parents-let-friends-drink

This article is about a young man by the name of Chris Skinner, age 17, who died by the cause of alcohol poisoning. He got off of his shift at Boston Pizza at 9:30 pm on a Saturday in 2010. He was in grade 11 and went to Waterdown High School, and drank more than five times the legal limit on that night which led to his death. He drank all this in a period of five hours with both his parents and his brother fully aware of his alcohol consumption. He came back from his job and went to work with some friends. They began drinking at one of their friends houses as the played a drinking game called Kings. After they were done with the game, one of Chris's friends had stated that Chris was "sloshed" by this time, already indicating that he had drank too much. Even though he had exceeded the amount he should have consumed, he continued to party and drink alcohol back at his house with his friends. They came home and drank with his parents, then went into the basement and did a drug known as marijuana. Then they proceeded to play beer pong with his older brother, therefore intensifying his drunkenness and topping the night off with a few more beers. After finishing this rampage of binge drinking, Chris passed out and was moved to the couch where he eventually died due to alcohol poisoning.

I feel as though the parents were definitely to blame in this situation as they are not only responsible for their child, but also the activity that happens in their very own house. To me, it was shocking that the parents not only let their son drink in their own house with them (under age as well) but that they also drank with him. This, to me, sends a false message to the child saying that its okay to drink underage and that he can do it whenever he wants because they don't care enough to stop him. They might have been alcoholics in the first place which could have caused Chris to drink so much in the first place. They should have been concerned about his well being or at least notified as to how much he drank before coming home and if it was safe for him to consume any more. In my opinion, the lack of care and concern by the parents led to this individuals death, but that doesn't mean that I am directly blaming the parents. I believe that Chris was to blame for his own death because he is 17 years of age and should be responsible for his own actions. There should be some guidance by the parents but ultimately, the decision was up to Chris to either drink or not and that night, he chose his own fate.